Agriculture: Electronic Identification

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 17 March (WA 16), whether they have considered offsetting any infraction penalties incurred by non-compliance with European Community legislation concerning electronic identification of sheep and goats against the United Kingdom's contribution to the European Union's budget.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To date no lump sum or penalty payments have been imposed on the UK under Article 228 of the Treaty Establishing the European Community. If they were to be imposed in theory, the UK would still be obliged to make its contributions to the EC budget under obligations imposed by the treaties. There is no mechanism by which to offset penalties against budget contributions. The European Communities Act, and Section 2 in particular, gives effect within the UK to Community law.

Agriculture: Foot and Mouth Disease

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the total cost of the legal defence for all the cases in which costs incurred by independent contractors during the 2001 foot and mouth disease epidemic were disputed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; in how many cases the defence was successful; how many cases were lost; and what was the total cost of reimbursement, including interest, in the lost cases.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Her Majesty's Government have incurred total legal costs of £14,078,665 in prosecuting or defending all the cases in which costs incurred by independent contractors during the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001 were disputed.
	Further information could be provided only at disproportionate cost as some cases did not proceed to judgment; some cases were resolved through alternative dispute resolution techniques; some cases were not trials but an agreed determination of preliminary issues by the court, a procedure agreed between Defra and the contractor(s). In several cases settlements were the subject of legally binding confidentiality and mediation settlement agreements.

Aquatic Animal Health (England and Wales) Regulations

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government with reference to Schedule 2 to the Aquatic Animal Health (England and Wales) Regulations (SI 2009/463), by what legislative authority an Act of Parliament may be repealed by a negative instrument.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The relevant legislative authority is contained in Section 2(4) of the European Communities Act 1972.

Armed Forces: Accommodation

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following publication of the Service Family Accommodation Condition Survey for England and Wales, a comparable survey is being carried out in Scotland; and, if not, whether they will commission one.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: An Asset Condition Survey of the Service Family Accommodation in Scotland is expected to be completed by spring 2011.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what trials have been carried out using 100 per cent synthetic fuels for Royal Air Force aircraft; what trials are planned; what obstacles there are to carrying out trials; and what supplies of synthetic fuels for flying purposes are available.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: No trials have so far been carried out using 100 per cent synthetic fuel for Royal Air Force aircraft. A recent attempt to conduct such a trial on an opportunity basis had to be cancelled as it did not prove possible to obtain authorisation from an aircraft design authority for use of the synthetic fuel. Aircraft design authorities will need to be satisfied that alternative fuels are safe and will not adversely affect fuel system life or integrity before endorsing their use. There is currently only one approved source of synthetic aviation fuel and supplies are limited.

Banking

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government at what level of seniority banking appointments must be reported to the Financial Services Authority for clearance; and to which banks this applies.

Lord Myners: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which is independent from government. The noble Lord's inquiry has been passed to the FSA who will write directly to the noble Lord on this subject.

Banking

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 19 March (WA 72), whether the figures of £19.97 billion to the Royal Bank of Scotland and £11.48 billion to HBOS represent all the public money invested in the two banks over the last year.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 19 March (WA 72), how much public money has been provided in the past year to support HBOS and the Royal Bank of Scotland measured per resident of Scotland.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 19 March (WA 72), how the amount of public money per head of the Scottish population provided for HBOS and the Royal Bank of Scotland compares to a similar figure for Iceland-based banks in terms of the population of Iceland.

Lord Myners: In relation to the public money provided to HBOS and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), I have nothing to add to my Answer of 19 March. In relation to the Government's support for UK depositors with Iceland-based banks, I refer the noble Lord to the Statement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 13 October 2008 Official Report, col. 23WS- 25WS, and on 6 November 2008 Official Report, col. 26WS. The provision of public money in Iceland is a matter for the Icelandic Government.

Banking: Bank of England

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have sent a response to the Governor of the Bank of England concerning his remarks on future fiscal expansion; and, if so, what were their principal points.

Lord Myners: Her Majesty's Treasury and the Bank of England have a regular dialogue on a range of financial and economic issues.

Banking: Bank of Scotland (Ireland)

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis approval was given for Hugh Donnelly, Paul McEvoy and Phil Flynn to be employed by the Bank of Scotland (Ireland), which trades in the United Kingdom; who gave the approval; and when.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Financial Services Authority consulted any of the security services about the appointment of former Sinn Fein vice president Phil Flynn as chairman of the Bank of Scotland (Ireland).
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 30 March (WA 177) concerning the regulation and control of bank branches of the Bank of Scotland (Ireland) in the United Kingdom, what is meant by "are regulated chiefly by the Irish Financial Regulator".

Lord Myners: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which is independent from government. The noble Lord's inquiry has been passed to the FSA, which will write directly to him on this subject.

Banking: Bank of Scotland (Ireland)

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the conviction of Ted Cunningham in the Republic of Ireland of activity connected with the robbery of Northern Bank in 2004, they will request from the Government of the Republic of Ireland transcripts of Mr Cunningham's police interviews, particularly where they contain references to the former Bank of Scotland (Ireland) chairman, Phil Flynn.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: This is an operational matter for the chief constable. I have asked him to reply to the noble Lord directly, and I will arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Library of the House.

Banking: Bank of Scotland (Ireland)

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government who over the past 10 years has monitored the operations and correctness of the Bank of Scotland (Ireland) when it operates in the United Kingdom.

Lord Myners: The Bank of Scotland (Ireland), which is part of Lloyds Banking Group, is an Irish business regulated primarily by the Irish financial regulator. It has operations in the UK within Northern Ireland which operate as branches passported into the UK in accordance with European legislation. The FSA and its predecessors are the host regulatory authority for the operations in Northern Ireland only.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government in all banking organisations in which they have a controlling stake, how much was paid to staff in bonuses during 2008.

Lord Myners: The Government's policy is that the approach to disclosure taken by the banks in which they hold a stake should follow the requirements for companies listed on the Stock Exchange, including the Combined Code on Corporate Governance and Directors' Remuneration Report Regulations.
	All the banks' annual reports contain a directors' remuneration report providing information on board directors' remuneration. Individual employee salaries and bonus payments are the responsibility of the banks in question.

Banking: Forecasts

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Answer by Lord Myners on 11 March (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 1165), how the banks' forecasts compare with the forecasts in the Pre-Budget Report 2008.

Lord Myners: RBS and Lloyds Banking Groups' lending agreements were negotiated on an individual basis, taking account of their specific circumstances and access to Government schemes and the wider economic context. The Government will report annually on delivery against agreements.
	The forecasts in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report may be found in Annex A of that document, available at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr08_annexa_339.pdf

Banking: Lloyds

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total amount of bonuses paid and due for payment in 2009 by Lloyds Banking Group plc; and to how many employees.

Lord Myners: Lloyds Banking Group has announced that no discretionary bonuses will be paid in 2009 except to the most junior staff earning an average of around £20,000, and that there will be no annual free share award to anyone in the bank.
	Beyond this there are some guaranteed bonuses, and Lloyds has agreed that only legally binding, unavoidable payments will be made, and that it will exercise any discretion it has to defer payments.

Banking: Royal Bank of Scotland

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (a) taking legal action against former board members of the Royal Bank of Scotland for negligence, and (b) referring their conduct to the Financial Services Authority.

Lord Myners: With the agreement of UK Financial Investments Ltd, Sir Philip Hampton, the new chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland, has appointed a senior independent QC to carry out a full legal investigation of the issues relating to Sir Fred Goodwin's pension. This investigation is ongoing.
	The Government work closely with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on financial stability matters. Regulation of banks which have received government support, including RBS, remains a matter for the FSA.

Banking: UK Financial Investments Ltd

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 30 March (WA 175—76) concerning banks in which UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI) has a majority share, what instructions UKFI has given to the banks concerning the future operation of charges, accounts and accessibility through branches.

Lord Myners: UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI) has been set up to manage the Government's investments in financial institutions as an active and engaged shareholder, operating on a commercial basis and at arm's-length from government.
	This includes:
	monitoring performance through maintaining an active and regular dialogue with investee companies' boards to satisfy UKFI that the boards are operating effectively, and that companies' strategies protect and enhance shareholder value;voting the Government's shares wherever practicable —and disclosing how UKFI has voted;intervening with the board when necessary, should UKFI have concerns about strategy, operational performance, acquisitions or disposals; and providing regular updates to HM Treasury on the performance of the Government's investments and the effectiveness of the engagement with investee companies.
	The framework document between HM Treasury and UKFI sets a requirement that UKFI will not intervene in the day-to-day management decisions of investee companies. The companies will retain their own independent boards, which will manage the banks and determine their strategy.
	In this context, HM Treasury and UK Financial Investments does not have a role in advising on the personal or corporate financial arrangements with its investee companies, and does not comment on individual products offered by or commercial decisions taken by its investee companies.

Banks

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether banks with branches in the United Kingdom are monitored to the same degree as banks with headquarters in the United Kingdom; and, if so, what are the arrangements for this monitoring.

Lord Myners: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which is independent from government. The noble Lord's inquiry has been passed to the FSA, who will write directly to him on this subject.

Belfast Agreement

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 19 March (WA 64) regarding the Belfast agreement, how is the chapter in the agreement entitled rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity monitored in the Republic of Ireland; and by whom.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference monitors the progress of each Government under the Belfast Agreement. Issues covered in the Rights, Safeguards and Equality of Opportunity chapter of the agreement have been discussed within this forum, both at ministerial and official level.

Bigamy

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases of bigamy were dealt with in British courts in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many resulted in a conviction.

Lord Bach: Information showing the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for bigamy in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the table below. Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Office respectively.
	
		
			 Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts of bigamy, under Section 57 of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, England & Wales, 2003 to 2007 (11(2) 
			  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 
			 Proceeded against 29 22 28 23 17 
			 Found guilty 20 22 21 11 16 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 
			 (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.Source: Evidence & Analysis Unit - Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Bigamy

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people convicted of bigamy in British courts were sentenced to a term in prison in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what was the average length of sentence.

Lord Bach: The numbers sentenced to immediate and suspended custodial sentences in England and Wales for bigamy are given in the table below.
	
		
			 Persons given custodial sentences for bigamy(1), 2003-2007 
			 Year Sentenced Immediate custody Suspended sentence 
			 2003 18 3 0 
			 2004 23 9 2 
			 2005 18 4 4 
			 2006 12 2 1 
			 2007 15 3 4 
		
	
	(1) Offences against the Person Act 1861 S.57 Data are presented on principal offence basis.
	Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice Ref: PQ(OMSAS)602-09 (31/03/2009).
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems.
	Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.
	There are so few immediate custodial sentences per year that to calculate the average for single years may be misleading. A single exceptional sentence (short or long) will have an undue impact on the average. An average based on so few values will vary greatly from year to year.
	The average immediate custodial sentence over the period 2003 to 2007 was 15.7 months; the sentences ranged from two to 24 months.
	Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Office respectively.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis there have been in herds in Gloucestershire since the flooding in July 2007.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: There were 409* new bovine tuberculosis herd breakdowns in Gloucestershire between 1 July 2007 and 31 December 2008.
	It should be noted that it is not possible to make a formal correlation between bovine tuberculosis and flooding.
	*Data provisional and subject to change as more data become available. Data downloaded between August 2007 and March 2008. Source: Animal Health's TB Data Warehouse.

Brazil: Sex Tourism

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are co-operating with the Government of Brazil concerning (a) controls over British sex tourists and the exploitation of children; and (b) trafficking of women and children from Brazil to the United Kingdom.

Lord West of Spithead: We shall work closely with all Governments to eradicate sexual offences against children and the trafficking of both women and minors.
	We have taken a number of measures to help prevent those convicted of sexual offences in the United Kingdom from travelling to other countries to commit offences. We are able to prosecute here, those who have offended against children overseas where the act committed would be a relevant offence in this country.
	We remain committed to tackling the horrendous crime of human trafficking as stated in the UK's action plan and are determined to work with all Governments to stop the particularly vile trade in children.

British Citizenship: Fees

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what fees are payable by a British citizen resident abroad (a) to sponsor his non-citizen spouse and three children to apply for entry clearance to reside in the United Kingdom; (b) to renew their resident status from time to time until they were granted indefinite leave to remain; and (c) to apply for them to acquire British citizenship when they become eligible.

Lord West of Spithead: The total fees payable by the non-EU spouse of a British citizen and three non-EU children aged below 18 from 6 April 2009 are as follows:
	Entry clearance: £2,340
	Further leave to remain (if applicable): £615
	Indefinite leave to remain: £970
	British citizenship: £1,200
	Additionally, the non-EU spouse is required to take the knowledge of life test prior to applying for indefinite leave to remain, for which the fee is £33.28, and to attend the British citizenship ceremony prior to the grant of British citizenship, for which the fee is £80.

British Citizenship: Fees

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what fees are payable by a Commonwealth citizen resident abroad (a) to obtain a United Kingdom ancestry visa; (b) to sponsor his non-citizen spouse and three children to apply for entry clearance to reside in the United Kingdom; (c) to renew their resident status from time to time until they are granted indefinite leave to remain; and (d) to apply for them to acquire British citizenship when they become eligible.

Lord West of Spithead: The total fees payable by a Commonwealth citizen, their non-Commonwealth spouse and three children aged below 18 from 6 April 2009 are as follows:
	Entry clearance: £1,075
	Further leave to remain (if applicable): Postal application £665
	Indefinite leave to remain: Postal application £1,020
	British citizenship: £1,250
	Additionally, the Commonwealth citizen and non-Commonwealth spouse are required to take the knowledge of life test prior to applying for indefinite leave to remain, for which the fee is £33.28 each person, and are required to attend the British citizenship ceremony, for which the fee is £80 per person.

British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 24 March (WA 109) concerning funding of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body, on what basis the funding was calculated; whether business cases were prepared; who decided the amount; and when.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary body, now called the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA), receives a grant-in-aid from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The grant-in-aid payments are subject to normal budgeting procedures whereby the BIPA submits a request for funds for approval by HM Treasury, the last one being agreed in 2007. Budgets are set three years ahead. Most of the budget is to cover the costs of a single member of staff and expenditures incurred relating to meetings and conferences.

Business Rates: Vacant Properties

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the current economic situation, they will suspend payment of business rates on vacant properties.

Baroness Andrews: The Government have increased the exemption threshold under which an empty property will not be liable for rates from a rateable value of £2,200 to £15,000 for 2009/10. This threshold covers 70 per cent of all hereditaments, and if empty, these hereditaments will not be liable for rates this year. The Government have no plans to reverse the changes to empty property rate relief introduced from 1 April 2008. However, as with all taxes, we will keep the position under review.

CCTV

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many closed circuit television cameras are currently registered with the Information Commissioner; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many closed circuit television cameras were registered with the Information Commissioner in each of the last three years.

Lord Bach: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the UK's independent authority set up to promote access to official information and to protect personal information.
	The ICO does not hold a register of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, but rather it maintains a register of data controllers—organisations that process individuals' personal data. Data controllers provide details of the purposes for their processing when they register with the ICO, including the use of CCTV for crime prevention and the prosecution of offenders.
	There are currently 49,382 notifications for the use of CCTV for crime prevention and the prosecution of offenders. This figure does not reflect the number of cameras used by each data controller, since a large national organisation might have one registration with the ICO but operate many cameras. The figure also does not account for those data controllers who are using CCTV for a purpose other than crime prevention.
	In the last three years, notifications for the use of CCTV for crime prevention and the prosecution of offenders were:
	
		
			 Year Notifications 
			 2006 41,631 
			 2007 43,143 
			 2008 46,190 
		
	
	As noted above, these figures do not reflect the number of cameras used by each data controller, and do not account for those data controllers who are using CCTV for another purpose.
	This information has been provided by the ICO.

Child Trust Funds

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many child trust funds have been opened in each year since 2003 by HM Revenue and Customs, broken down by region.

Lord Myners: Numbers in 000's 
			 Child's year of birth Sept 2002-April 2003 Tax Year  
			   2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 All Accounts 
			 Region  
			 North East 4 7 7 8 26 
			 North West 13 20 21 23 77 
			 Yorks & The Humber 9 14 15 16 54 
			 East Midlands 7 10 10 12 39 
			 West Midlands 10 16 16 17 59 
			 East 7 12 11 12 42 
			 London 14 22 23 26 85 
			 South East 11 17 16 18 62 
			 South West 6 10 10 10 36 
			 Wales 5 8 8 8 29 
			 Scotland 9 14 14 16 53 
			 Northern Ireland 4 6 6 7 23 
			 Unknown or Overseas 4 7 6 6 23 
			 All Accounts 102 165 163 180 610 
		
	
	The above table shows the number of accounts (in thousands) opened by HMRC broken down by the year of birth and government office region of the child. The numbers have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
	Child trust funds help to build the savings habit of future generations, contribute to financial education and will ensure that at age 18, every child will have access to their own financial asset. Over 4 million children now have a child trust fund account.

Child Trust Funds

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria and guidelines were used by HM Revenue and Customs to decide what type of account to open on behalf of the recipients of child trust funds.

Lord Myners: There are three types of child trust fund (CTF) accounts—stakeholder, cash and non-stakeholder shares accounts. Parents can choose which type of account to invest their child's money in, and can transfer between account types at any time.
	If parents do not open an account within one year, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will open a stakeholder CTF account for the child, ensuring that no child misses out on the benefits of a CTF account.
	The Government have put in place a number of rules for stakeholder CTF accounts. The child trust fund regulations require CTF providers to diversify the investments within a stakeholder account. They also require assets held in child trust fund accounts to be moved into investments with lower risk and return profiles when the child reaches 13. This process, known as lifestyling, will further reduce the risk of investing in equities as CTF accounts reach maturity. Furthermore, account charges on stakeholder CTF accounts are capped at a maximum of 1.5 per cent per year.

Child Trust Funds

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of HM Revenue and Customs-invested child trust funds that are now worth less than when they were invested (a) in money terms, and (b) in real terms, after taking retail price index inflation into account.

Lord Myners: No estimate has been made, and the information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Child Trust Funds

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the Government rules in place to help reduce risk on stakeholder child trust fund accounts, as set out on the child trust fund website; and what assessment they have made of their effectiveness.

Lord Myners: The child trust fund regulations require CTF providers to diversify the investments within a stakeholder account. They also require assets held in child trust fund accounts to be moved into investments with lower risk and return profiles when the child reaches 13. This process, known as lifestyling, will further reduce the risk of investing in equities as child trust fund accounts near maturity.
	The child trust fund is designed as a long-term investment and the first accounts will not mature until 2020. Therefore at this stage it is too early to assess the effectiveness of rules to reduce risk in stakeholder accounts.

Child Trust Funds

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many child trust funds have been opened in each year since 2003 by HM Revenue and Customs, broken down by provider and account type.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of child trust funds opened by HM Revenue and Customs have been invested in (a) stakeholder accounts, (b) shares accounts (non-stakeholder), and (c) savings accounts (non-stakeholder).

Lord Myners: Information on the number of child trust funds opened in each year since 2003 by HM Revenue and Customs is set out below. This is also available in table 2 of the Child Trust Fund Statistical Report 2008 which can be found at the following address at www. hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/statistical-report-2008.pdf.
	All child trust funds opened by HM Revenue and Customs are stakeholder accounts. Information broken down by provider is not published as it is commercially confidential.
	
		
			 Vouchers used by financial year of birth 
			 Date of birth of child and voucher value Vouchers issued Accounts opened by parents Accounts opened by HM Revenue & Customs or not yet opened 
			  1,000s 1,000s (%) 1,000s 
			 1 September 2002-5 April 2003: £277 412 304 (74%) 108 
			 6 April 2003-5 April 2004: £268 719 543 (76%) 176 
			 6 April 2004-5 April 2005: £256 726 551 (76%) 175 
			 6 April 2005-5 April 2006: £250 730 537 (74%) 193 
			 6 April 2006-5 April 2007: £250 743 549 (74%) 195 
			 All 3,330 2,484 (75%) 846

Children: Carers

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children under the age of 16 have been identified as carers in each region and sub-region of the United Kingdom.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Young carers are a devolved issue. We are seeking the data for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from the offices of the devolved Administrations. The information they provide will be forwarded as soon as it is available.
	In relation to England, the 2001 census, which is the only source of nationally comparable data on the number of carers of all ages, indicated that the total number of young carers aged under 16 was 90,000. A breakdown of the data for the English regions and their local authority areas is provided in the table attached.
	Source: ONS Census
	
		
			 The number of young carers aged under 16 in England in 2001 Year: 2001 
			 Number of carers aged under 16  
			 England 90,000 
			 England Regions  
			 North East 5,000 
			 North West 15,000 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 9,000 
			 East Midlands 8,000 
			 West Midlands 11,000 
			 East of England 9,000 
			 London 14,000 
			 South East 12,000 
			 South West 8,000 
			 Top tier England Local Authorities  
			 Barking & Dagenham 400 
			 Barnet 600 
			 Barnsley 400 
			 Bath & North East Somerset 300 
			 Bedfordshire 700 
			 Bexley 400 
			 Birmingham 3,000 
			 Blackburn With Darwen 400 
			 Blackpool 300 
			 Bolton 500 
			 Bournemouth 300 
			 Bracknell Forest 200 
			 Bradford 1,000 
			 Brent 700 
			 Brighton & Hove 400 
			 Bristol 600 
			 Bromley 400 
			 Buckinghamshire 700 
			 Bury 400 
			 Calderdale 400 
			 Cambridgeshire 900 
			 Camden 400 
			 Cheshire 1,000 
			 City of London - 
			 Cornwall 1,000 
			 Coventry 700 
			 Croydon 700 
			 Cumbria 900 
			 Darlington 200 
			 Derby 600 
			 Derbyshire 1,000 
			 Devon 1,000 
			 Doncaster 600 
			 Dorset 600 
			 Dudley 600 
			 Durham 1,000 
			 Ealing 600 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 500 
			 East Sussex 800 
			 Enfield 400 
			 Essex 2,000 
			 Gateshead 300 
			 Gloucestershire 800 
			 Greenwich 400 
			 Hackney 500 
			 Halton 300 
			 Hammersmith & Fulham 300 
			 Hampshire 2,000 
			 Haringey 400 
			 Harrow 400 
			 Hartlepool 200 
			 Havering 400 
			 Herefordshire 300 
			 Hertfordshire 2,000 
			 Hillingdon 400 
			 Hounslow 500 
			 Isles of Scilly - 
			 Isle Of Wight 300 
			 Islington 300 
			 Kensington & Chelsea 200 
			 Kent 2,000 
			 Kingston Upon Hull 500 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 200 
			 Kirklees 800 
			 Knowsley 400 
			 Lambeth 500 
			 Lancashire 2,000 
			 Leeds 1,000 
			 Leicester 800 
			 Leicestershire 1,000 
			 Lewisham 500 
			 Lincolnshire 1,000 
			 Liverpool 1,000 
			 Luton 500 
			 Manchester 900 
			 Medway Towns 400 
			 Merton 300 
			 Middlesbrough 300 
			 Milton Keynes 400 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 500 
			 Newham 800 
			 Norfolk 1,000 
			 North East Lincolnshire 300 
			 North Lincolnshire 300 
			 North Somerset 300 
			 North Tyneside 400 
			 North Yorkshire 800 
			 Northamptonshire 1,000 
			 Northumberland 500 
			 Nottingham 600 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,000 
			 Oldham 600 
			 Oxfordshire 900 
			 Peterborough 300 
			 Plymouth 500 
			 Poole 300 
			 Portsmouth 300 
			 Reading 200 
			 Redbridge 500 
			 Redcar & Cleveland 300 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 200 
			 Rochdale 500 
			 Rotherham 500 
			 Rutland - 
			 Salford 500 
			 Sandwell 600 
			 Sefton 700 
			 Sheffield 900 
			 Shropshire 500 
			 Slough 300 
			 Solihull 300 
			 Somerset 800 
			 South Gloucestershire 400 
			 South Tyneside 300 
			 Southampton 300 
			 Southend 300 
			 Southwark 500 
			 St Helens 400 
			 Staffordshire 1,000 
			 Stockport 600 
			 Stockton On Tees 300 
			 Stoke-On-Trent 500 
			 Suffolk 1,000 
			 Sunderland 600 
			 Surrey 2,000 
			 Sutton 300 
			 Swindon 300 
			 Tameside 500 
			 Telford & Wrekin 300 
			 Thurrock 300 
			 Torbay 200 
			 Tower Hamlets 700 
			 Trafford 400 
			 Wakefield 600 
			 Walsall 500 
			 Waltham Forest 400 
			 Wandsworth 300 
			 Warrington 300 
			 Warwickshire 800 
			 West Berkshire 200 
			 West Sussex 1,000 
			 Westminster 200 
			 Wigan 700 
			 Wiltshire 700 
			 Windsor & Maidenhead 200 
			 Wirral 700 
			 Wokingham 200 
			 Wolverhampton 500 
			 Worcestershire 900 
			 York 200 
			 Notes: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 100 otherwise. Numbers for three local authorities have been suppressed and replaced in the table with a hyphen (-) due to low numbers.

Children: Data Sharing

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government at what age they deem a child able to consent to information sharing; and whether parents are normally involved in children's decisions about whether to consent to data sharing, such as that planned for ContactPoint.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The law provides that a child or young person who has the capacity to understand and make their own decisions may give (or refuse) consent to information sharing. This is presumed for young people to be aged 16 years and older unless there is evidence to the contrary. However, children aged 12 years or over may generally be expected to have sufficient understanding. Children under 12 years old may also be considered to have sufficient understanding. Where a practitioner has judged that a child does not have sufficient understanding to give or refuse consent, a person with parental responsibility should be asked to consent on behalf of the child. Practitioners use their professional judgment to determine whose consent should be sought. Information Sharing: Guidance for Practitioners and Managers sets out clearly the considerations that should be made when determining whose consent should be sought.
	All children in England will have a record on ContactPoint containing basic information until they reach the age of 18. When a child or young person accesses a sensitive service (services relating to sexual health, mental health and substance abuse) their explicit, informed consent (or that of a parent/carer if acting on their behalf) will be required to record contact details for this sensitive service on ContactPoint. A lack of consent to place sensitive service practitioner details on ContactPoint may be overridden in circumstances where there are genuine child protection concerns. Informed, explicit consent will be required for care leavers or those with learning difficulties to have their record remain on ContactPoint beyond the age of 18, up to the age of 25, to help facilitate the transition to adult services.

Children: Onset

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children have been profiled as potential offenders by the Onset system; how many of those have been enrolled in a diversionary scheme; and how many have been imprisoned.

Lord Bach: Onset is an assessment and referral framework designed by the Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford, and was launched in August 2006. It identifies whether a child would benefit from early intervention in order to help prevent him or her offending. Onset also helps to ensure the effectiveness of the intervention in any given case by determining the risk factors that should be reduced and the protective factors that should be enhanced.
	In 2007-08, the first year for which complete data are available, local authorities' youth offending teams reported to the Youth Justice Board that 22,535 children started on diversion programmes, 12,168 of whom then had an Onset assessment. Data on the numbers of children who had an Onset assessment and who subsequently received a custodial sentence are not collected centrally.

Children: Onset

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government which agencies have access to profiles created by Onset; where the Onset profiles are stored; and how long an Onset profile is kept for.

Lord Bach: Onset profiles are stored on the electronic and paper record systems used by local authorities' youth offending teams. These systems can be accessed by the multi-agency staff working for youth offending teams, such as health workers, police officers, social workers, probation officers and housing officers. Access to and sharing of such information is subject to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. The Youth Justice Board has issued guidance to youth offending teams on compliance with the Act and on effective record-keeping and information-sharing practice. The guidance also advises on the periods for which certain data should be retained. The length of time Onset data might be retained will depend on local authorities' own data retention policies and on issues such as whether the young person goes on to offend, the nature of the offence and the disposal applied.

Civil Service: Performance Pay

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 31 March (WS 83—84), what was the estimated size of the Department for Children, Schools and Families or its predecessors' non-consolidated performance-related pay pot for the senior Civil Service in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Pay arrangements for the Senior Civil Service are managed centrally by the Cabinet Office and are based on recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.

Civil Service: Performance Pay

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 31 March (WS 83—84), what was the estimated size of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs's non-consolidated performance-related pay pot for the senior Civil Service, in each of the past five years for which information is available.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Pay arrangements for the Senior Civil Service are managed centrally by the Cabinet Office and are based on recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.

Civil Service: Performance Pay

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 31 March (WS 83—84), what was the estimated size of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's non-consolidated performance-related pay pot for the senior Civil Service, in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Pay arrangements for the senior Civil Service are managed centrally by the Cabinet Office and are based on recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.

Climate Change: Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Viscount Craigavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conclusion of the petition signed by over 80,000 Icelanders, which was presented to the British-Icelandic Parliamentary Group, that the United Kingdom and Iceland should work together to rebuild their long-term relationship as allies and friends; and what measures they intend to take to further those ends.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Iceland remains a long-standing strategic ally of the UK. We look forward to sustaining the traditionally strong bi-lateral relationship, while mindful of the outstanding financial issues, which have still to be resolved between us following Iceland's banking crisis.
	The Icelandic Foreign Minister, Mr. Ossur Skarphedinsson, met my right honourble friend the Foreign Secretary on Tuesday 31 March 2009. They had a productive exchange, both on financial questions and also on the prospects for enhanced co-operation in the wider bi-lateral relationship, including areas such as defence and security, the Arctic and renewable energy.

Communications Data

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they can distinguish communications data and the content of communications in relation to social networking sites.

Lord West of Spithead: "Communications data", and "communications" are defined in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The Government are satisfied that they can distinguish between the communications data associated with a communication and the content of communications, including with reference to social networking sites.

Communications Data

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in planning the Interception Modernisation Programme, they have considered deep packet inspection equipment as a means of analysing people's internet communications in order to ascertain their identity in cases where it is not evident from the source and destination of data packets.

Lord West of Spithead: The Government's Interception Modernisation Programme is considering how deep packet inspection technologies might support the lawful interception of communications and separately the lawful acquisition of communications data.

Communications Data Bill

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the construction of a prototype database for the proposed Communications Data Bill is under way; if so, how it will be tested; and how much will be spent on the prototype exercise.

Lord West of Spithead: The work of the interception modernisation programme has not included the construction of a prototype database. The Government will shortly launch a public consultation on options for how communications data may support public protection in the future.

Counterterrorism

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support and guidance they have provided to the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The UK has engaged actively with the UN counterterrorism implementation task force since it was established by the UN Secretary-General in 2005. We have shared UK experience and expertise on a number of issues considered by the task force, including terrorist use of the internet and counter radicalisation. We provided £73,000 in financial year 2008-09, to help fund two projects: a UN symposium on supporting the victims of terrorism and a project aimed at countering radicalisation.

Counter-Terrorism Act

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to bring into force Section 28 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.

Lord West of Spithead: We do not yet have a date for the commencement of Section 28 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.

Counter-Terrorism Act

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the remarks by Lord West of Spithead on 4 November 2008 (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 184), whether agreement has been reached with the Lord Advocate regarding guidelines on post-charge questioning in Scotland under the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 being placed in the Library of the House; and when such guidelines are expected to be published.

Lord West of Spithead: Guidelines on post-charge questioning in Scotland will be placed in the Library of the House when the relevant provisions of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 are commenced.

Criminality Information Management

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the duties of the Independent Adviser for Criminality Information Management advertised by the Appointments Commission on 1 April.

Lord West of Spithead: The adviser will provide Ministers with independent advice and challenge on improving the management of criminality information in support of public protection. Criminality information is defined as any information which is, or may be, relevant to the prevention, investigation, prosecution or penalising of crime.

Criminality Information Management

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government in the context of the Home Office advertisements for an Independent Adviser for Criminality Information Management, what is the meaning of Criminality Information Management.

Lord West of Spithead: Criminality Information Management is the effective and proportionate recording, use and sharing of criminality information in support of public protection. Criminality information is defined as any information which is, or may be, relevant to the prevention, investigation, prosecution or penalising of crime.

Dalai Lama

Lord Rana: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken in response to the Government of South Africa not granting a visa to the Dalai Lama to attend the peace conference in South Africa.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We have not raised this issue with the South African Government as visa decisions are a matter for national Governments.

Data Protection

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many letters they have received from the European Commission regarding implementation of the Data Protection Directive.

Lord Bach: We are engaged in a constructive dialogue with the Commission on the implementation of the data protection directive. We have received three formal letters on the subject since the directive came into force in 1995.

Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the composition of the implementation group for the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009; and whether the guidance produced by the implementation group will be published.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 will be implemented only after guidance is produced by the implementation group.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the bringing into force of the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 will be delayed until the European Court of Justice rules in respect of the conformity of the data retention directive with the European Convention on Human Rights in the case brought before it by the German Working Group on Data Retention.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government with reference to the definition of communications data in the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009, (a) how they define data that are "processed by" communications service providers; and (b) whether data "processed by" communications service providers can or will include third party applications.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what internet protocols are not covered by the definition of "internet email" in the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is possible technically to distinguish completely communications data and the content of communications for internet protocols covered by the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009; and, if so, for which of the internet protocols covered by the Regulations.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is possible technically to distinguish completely communications data and the content of communications for internet protocols covered by the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009; and, if not, how they will maintain the validity of that distinction.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they allow the use of (a) deep packet inspection technologies, and (b) data mining technologies and techniques, on communications data retained by communications service providers.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how communications data retained by communications service providers are stored.

Lord West of Spithead: Membership of the implementation group has not been finalised but it will comprise representatives of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, the Government and the communications industry. Its guidance will not be published.
	The regulations came into effect from 6 April and will apply to all public communications service providers to whom a written notice has been given by the Secretary of State.
	The regulations apply to data that are processed or generated by UK service providers in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks, as stipulated in the2006 directive. As explained in the debate on the regulations, they will not be used to oblige communication service providers to retain data that relate to "third party" applications offered by providers based abroad.
	The regulations relate to communications services or public communications networks. Some "information services" such as social networking sites would fall outside the definition of a communication service and would not be covered by the regulations.
	"Communications data" and "communications" are defined in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The Government are satisfied that they can distinguish between communications data and the content of the communications.
	Access to communications data is achieved through the provisions in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and the relevant statutory code of practice.
	The Government have been working with service providers to ensure that they have systems in place that will store the data using common handover interfaces that meet the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) standard to ensure the data are delivered effectively and efficiently when a lawful requirement to disclose the data has been made.

Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the implementation group created for the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 has responsibilities concerning the Interception Modernisation Programme, including consultation thereon and implementation thereof.

Lord West of Spithead: The implementation group for the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulation 2009 will be consulted on the work of the Interception Modernisation Programme.

Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, for the purpose of planning the Interception Modernisation Programme and interpreting the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009, they classify information that can be recorded by deep packet inspection, such as coordinates in Second Life or details of a webmail inbox screen, to be "traffic data".

Lord West of Spithead: In relation to the acquisition and disclosure of communications data, the meaning of traffic data is set out in Section 21(4)(a) and 21(6) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. This includes data identifying a file or program by reference to the apparatus in which it is stored. Traffic data also include data identifying or purporting to identify any location to or from which a communication is or may be transmitted.

Debt: United States

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 25 March (WA 137) concerning war debt owed to the United States, whether interest is included in the $4,368 billion; and, if so, how much.

Lord Myners: The Answer to this Question can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The specific details of the loans would have to be located from the files (dating back more than 80 years) held in the Public Records Office.

Department for International Development: DEL

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 9 March (WA 198—99), why HM Treasury's allocation to the Conflict Prevention Pool is declining.

Lord Myners: The Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 established the Stabilisation Aid Fund to support the design and delivery of UK civilian activities, including quick impact projects, in insecure environments. This fund took over responsibilities for programmes in Iraq and Afghanistan previously discharged from the Conflict Prevention Pools.
	With the establishment of the fund, overall funding for conflict prevention activities over the CSR period will have increased significantly from £139 million in 2007-08 to £229 million in 2010-11.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Conflict Prevention Pool 139 112 109 106 
			 Stabilisation Aid Fund - 73 73 123 
			 Total 139 185 182 229

Driving: Learners

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what methods were available to members of the public to respond to the Driving Standards Agency's consultation document Learning to Drive, issued in May 2008.

Lord Adonis: The public were able to respond through postal services and via an online form to the Learning to Drive consultation. The public were also able to attend and provide feedback through 13 regional stakeholder events held in England, Scotland and Wales.
	Young people were one of the Driving Standards Agency's (DSA's) key target audiences during the Learning to Drive consultation. In addition, DSA's Young People's Forum, which held a number of consultation workshops in colleges and universities around the country, encouraged them to participate in the consultation. Some 61 per cent of the 6,857 completed questionnaires were submitted by young people.

Driving: Learners

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many responses have been received to the consultation document Learning to Drive; what analysis has been made of respondents by age, gender or interest in the topic; and when they will publish their responses to the consultation.

Lord Adonis: A total of 6,857 completed questionnaires were received in response to the Learning to Drive consultation paper. In addition, we also received feedback from around 1,400 people who attended 13 regional stakeholder events in England, Scotland and Wales, and Driving Standards Agency business customer conferences in Plymouth, Newcastle and Harrogate.
	The responses to the consultation are being analysed by age, driver experience and profession. We shall publish our decisions and report on the consultation shortly.

Driving: Learners

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Scottish Qualifications Authority about the establishment of a pre-driver qualification within the United Kingdom education system.

Lord Adonis: The Driving Standards Agency has worked with the Scottish Qualifications Authority through a Qualification Development Board. The board includes key stakeholders such as senior police officers, road safety officers, educationalists and representatives of sector skills councils. Discussions on the qualification included: its content; its level of qualification and credit frameworks; ways of maximising its availability and attractiveness to a range of institutions and to young people in general; and arrangements for a managed rollout.

Driving: Learners

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what level of interest has been expressed by schools in Scotland, England and Wales in the establishment of a pre-driver education qualification.

Lord Adonis: In Scotland three colleges, three schools, one young offender institution and one private company have committed to delivering the qualification.
	In England one college and two schools have committed to delivery and three county council road safety departments have expressed a strong interest in being involved in the next stage of development. As awareness of the qualification increases, we are expecting further expressions of interest.

Driving: Learners

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timetable for their introduction of pre-driver qualification courses into school curricula and the subsequent evaluation of the effect of such courses.

Lord Adonis: As part of a managed and quality-controlled rollout, the qualification has initially been introduced at a limited number of centres, including schools, in England and Scotland.
	The Driving Standards Agency intends to draw on the course management and quality control information provided by the awarding bodies to evaluate the effectiveness of the qualification.
	This has been developed as a voluntary qualification and there are no current plans to make it compulsory.

Drugs: Clonazepam

Lord Acton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the drug clonazepam was first licensed for treatment in the United Kingdom; and what assessment they have made of whether the drug has had adverse effects on patients.

Baroness Thornton: Clonazepam belongs to the class of medicines known as benzodiazepines. When benzodiazepines were introduced into the market in the United Kingdom there was not a formal system of medicines regulation. In 1971 after implementation of the Medicines Act 1968, all medicines were given a licence of right, and these licences were reviewed over time by the Committee on Review of Medicines (CRM) and granted a reviewed licence if they met the requirements of safety, efficacy and quality.
	Clonazepam, which is used for the treatment of epilepsy in infants, children and adults, was granted a product licence of right on 13 June 1974.
	As with all medicines authorised in the UK, the safety of clonazepam has been kept under close and continuous scrutiny by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) using a wide variety of data sources. These include spontaneous adverse drug data from the UK and worldwide, clinical trials and epidemiological studies, worldwide published medical literature, data from the manufacturer and information from worldwide regulatory authorities.
	The MHRA captures data on potential side effects associated with medicines through its Yellow Card scheme. Doctors, dentists, coroners, pharmacists, nurses and patients can report suspected side effects to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme. A total of 174 spontaneous case reports have been received detailing 382 reactions suspected to be associated with the use of clonazepam in the UK. The most commonly reported suspected adverse reactions include aggression (14 reports), somnolence (12), mania (9), ataxia (8) and epilepsy (8). All of these adverse reactions, or the symptoms commonly used to describe these conditions, are included in the product information for clonazepam.
	Information to aid the safe use of clonazepam is provided in the product information which consists of the summary of product characteristics for healthcare professionals and the patient information leaflet. These are available on the internet at emc.medicines.org.uk/searchresults.aspx?term=clonazepam&searchtype=QuickSearch.
	Additional prescribing advice is provided in the British National Formulary, which is sent to all doctors within the National Health Service.

Drugs: Khat

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health effects of khat; and what advice they have given on khat to local health authorities and local education authorities.

Baroness Thornton: In March 2005 the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was asked by the then Home Office Minister Caroline Flint to assess the extent of the harm posed by khat use in the United Kingdom, to the individual, their communities and to society as a whole.
	The ACMD reported in January 2006 and continues to monitor the situation in relation to khat through its technical committee.
	Advice on khat is available through the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse and FRANK.

Education: Home Schooling

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have given to home-educating parents or organisations about shielding data on ContactPoint.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The department and local authorities are making information about ContactPoint available to young people and their parents/carers using a range of methods, for example, direct mailing to households, leaflet distribution, publications on websites and through the media. Activity has been taking place across England for some time and will increase over the coming months. A range of materials, which includes information about shielding, is widely available. More detailed information is available on the department's website: www.ecm.gov. uk/contactpoint.

Elephant Ivory

Lord James of Blackheath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that illegal imports of modern elephant ivory into the United Kingdom are properly identified and not incorrectly classified as netsuke (mammoth ivory).

Lord Myners: Imports of elephant ivory into the UK are subject to stringent licensing controls under European Union legislation. This legislation implements the requirements of the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to control the trade in endangered species. Animal Health, an agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) issues import and export permits and these are subject to customs verification checks at UK points of entry and exit. Mammoth ivory is not subject to CITES controls.
	The targeting and detection of illegal ivory imports is one of the top CITES priorities of the UK Border Agency (UKBA). Where ivory items without valid permits are detected, which includes netsukes made from elephant ivory, they will be seized.
	Should UKBA be unable to determine the animal origin of the ivory netsuke, it is placed under customs detention, and further identification by specialists such as the Natural History Museum or by forensic testing experts, is carried out. If the determination is that the ivory is mammoth ivory, it will be released from detention and may be imported subject to any other controls and payment of any customs charges. However, should it be confirmed that the netsuke item is from elephant ivory, it will be seized by UKBA, and if appropriate, the case may be referred to the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office to consider prosecution action.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 23 March (WA 92), and following the oral evidence of the previous chief executive of the Medical Research Council to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on 5 February 2007 (HC 272-ll, Q249), what criteria are employed to determine the proportion of funding spent on research described by the former chief executive as having a "virtually zero success rate"; and how that compares to the proportion of public funding towards alternative medicine.

Lord Drayson: The Medical Research Council (MRC) does not employ criteria to determine the proportion of funding spent on different fields of stem cell research but supports competitive science which has the potential to move the field forward and to harness the potential of stem cells to treat human disease.
	The MRC is not currently supporting any research relating to alternative medicine.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Norwood Green on 16 March (WA 3), why information on the ratios of scientific papers describing induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to research council funding for such work could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Lord Drayson: The MRC does not hold information on the total number of research publications worldwide on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) or embryo-derived stem cells. To secure this information would require a detailed analysis of many hundreds of journals, and the costs would therefore be disproportionate.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 12 May 2008 (WA 109—10) and 23 March (WA 92—93), which of the inspection reports available on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority website describes how the corresponding centre ensures that the method used for culture of outgrowing embryos does not allow embryos to develop past 14 days or the appearance of the primitive streak.

Baroness Thornton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised me that 15 of the 34 inspection reports currently published on its website discuss the time period for culturing embryos. None of the reports reveal a breach of the 14-day limit.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Norwood Green on 16 March (WA 3), why information on the number of scientific papers describing stem cells derived by human cloning relative to research council funding for such work could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Lord Drayson: The MRC does not hold information on the total number of research publications worldwide on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) or embryo-derived stem cells. To secure this information would require a detailed analysis of many hundreds of journals, and the costs would therefore be disproportionate.

Energy: Fuel Prices

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether recent reductions in fuel costs have been passed to consumers in full; and, if not, what proposals they have to remedy the position.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In the Pre-Budget Report, Ministers asked Ofgem to monitor price movements on a quarterly basis. Ofgem's first report was published on 1 March 2009. This showed that the wholesale costs of suppliers peaked only at the end of 2008 and then started falling. Internal DECC analysis suggests that the price cuts recently announced by suppliers are overall in proportion to this reduction in their costs to date.
	Ofgem's analysis also shows that, based on current wholesale prices, wholesale costs of suppliers could be expected to fall further in 2009, in which case there may be scope for further price cuts later in the year. The Government want to see the full benefits of wholesale price reductions passed on to consumers and will continue to monitor this situation closely.
	Retail prices from transport fuels and heating oil have tracked wholesale costs closely. Internal DECC analysis does not suggest that retailers are failing to pass on cost reductions in full.

Energy: Renewables

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 27 February (WA 112), whether the £5 billion to £6 billion cost per annum estimated for renewable heat and electricity technology subsidies in 2020 takes into account the cost of the expansion needed to reinforce the national grid network to accommodate the anticipated extra wind-generated energy.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The estimate of subsidy costs given in the Written Answer of 27 February includes connection and transmission costs estimated at the time of the Renewable Energy Strategy Consultation, which are set out in the consultation document. We will be revisiting these costs estimates as part of the work for the Renewable Energy Strategy.

Energy: Renewables

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 19 March (WA 73—74), how the level of global nuclear generation in 2008 compared with that of 2004; how much new capacity is planned globally for the next decade; how much new capacity is anticipated by 2018 in addition to that already planned; and how long uranium reserves retrievable for £130 per kilogram will last at that projected capacity.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2008 (www.bp.com), the level of global nuclear electricity generation was 2,749 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2007 compared to 2,764 TWh in 2004 (data for 2008 are not yet available).
	The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that there are 436 nuclear power reactors in operation globally with a total net installed capacity of 370 GW. This compares to 364 GW in 2004. Globally, there are currently 44 nuclear reactors under construction with a total net capacity of 39 GW1.
	The IAEA estimates that identified global uranium resources (with production costs of less than $130/kg, or £93/kg at current exchange rates) are around 5.5 million tonnes. Based on current annual requirements of 67,000 tonnes, these reserves will last 82 years. Including the entire conventional uranium resource base would significantly increase the number of years.
	As set out in the White Paper on Nuclear Power (2008),the Government do not believe that uranium resources or the future price of uranium will be limiting factors for a new nuclear build programme in the UK.
	1 Source: IAEA PRIS Database (available at www.iaea.org)

Energy: Wind Farms

Lord Reay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they issue to wind farm developers regarding the legitimacy of payments to interested parties, whether local or national, made with the purpose of influencing planning decisions.

Baroness Andrews: A "toolkit" developed for the Renewables Advisory Board and Department of Trade and Industry in 2006 provides practice guidance on community benefits and UK wind energy projects. The toolkit highlights the strict principle in the planning systems in all parts of the UK that a decision about a particular planning proposal should be based on planning issues.
	The Planning System: General Principles, published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005, provides a general description of the key elements of the planning system in England, including the relevant considerations in determining planning applications. This guidance explains that local planning authorities are required to determine planning applications in accordance with the statutory development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. It also states that it is not legitimate for unacceptable development to be permitted because of benefits or inducements offered by a developer that are not necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms. Further advice on the use of planning obligations is provided in Circular 05/05, also published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Energy: Wind Farms

Lord Reay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the guidance available to local planning authorities in respect of allocations from developers to site wind farms in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty is fully covered by paragraphs 21 to 23 of Planning Policy Statement 7, and paragraphs 11 and 12 of Planning Policy Statement 22, or whether it has since been supplemented, modified or relaxed.

Baroness Andrews: Our planning policy statement (PPS) on climate change expects local planning authorities in developing their core strategy and development plan documents to provide a framework that promotes and encourages renewable energy, including wind farms. The PPS explains that, in doing so, planning authorities should ensure that any local approach to protecting landscape is consistent with the policies in PPS22, Renewable Energy, and does not preclude the supply of any type of renewable energy other than in the most exceptional circumstances.
	PPS22 sets out the policies applicable to applications for renewable energy on sites with nationally recognised designations such as national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty. The key principles that local planning authorities should adhere to in their approach to planning for renewable energy, including in applying the policy guidance in paragraphs 11 and 12, are set out in paragraph 1.
	Additionally, in last year's consultation document on the UK's renewable energy strategy, the Government underlined the vital role to be played by renewable energy, including wind power, in combating climate change and reducing the UK's dependency on oil and gas.

Energy: Wyre Barrage

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of a re-activation of the 1991 Wyre Tidal Barrage Scheme.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: A 60-64 MW tidal barrage in the Wyre Estuary was covered in the Sustainable Development Commission's Turning the Tide report in October 2007. Officials from the Department of Energy and Climate Change met representatives of Wyre Tidal Energy Limited at the end of 2008 to discuss assessment of the feasibility of a project and the likely consenting requirements. DECC have maintained contact with the company, which is also a member of the newly formed Northwest Tidal Energy Group, supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, with which DECC officials have regular meetings. Tidal power schemes below 1 GW installed capacity would be eligible for a revenue subsidy of two renewables obligation certificates / MWh.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the new helpline structure proposed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission will improve the advice service for the most vulnerable groups during the recession.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The commission believes the proposed structure will provide a better experience for callers to the helpline and lead to a higher quality advice and information service. The commission is also ensuring that the restructure maintains a sufficient level of resource at adviser level to handle any increase in calls owing to the recession.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the permanent and non-permanent staff working for the Equality and Human Rights Commission previously worked for (a) the Commission for Racial Equality, (b) the Equal Opportunities Commission and (c) the Disability Rights Commission.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: As at 31 March 2009; of the permanent and non-permanent staff working for the Equality and Human Rights Commission:
	103 previously worked for the Commission for Racial Equality;102 previously worked for the Equal Opportunities Commission; and 109 previously worked for the Disability Rights Commission.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the staff of (a) the Commission for Racial Equality, (b) the Equal Opportunities Commission, and (c) the Disability Rights Commission did not join the staff of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on 1 October 2007.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The number of staff from the legacy commissions who did not join the Equality and Human Rights Commission on 1October 2007 is as follows:
	101 staff of the Commission for Racial Equality;
	83 staff of the Disability Rights Commission; and
	69 staff of the Equal Opportunities Commission.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the staff working for the Equality and Human Rights Commission who have left since 1 October 2007 previously worked for (a) the Commission for Racial Equality, (b) the Equal Opportunities Commission, and (c) the Disability Rights Commission.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Of the total staff who left the Equality and Human Rights Commission between 1October 2007 and 31 March 2009:
	11 previously worked for the Commission for Racial Equality;nine previously worked for the Equal Opportunities Commission; and three previously worked for the Disability Rights Commission.

Equality: Company Boards

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will encourage gender and racial equality in British business boards; and, if so, how.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: We are committed to increasing the diversity on boards and support the annual publication of the Female FTSE report which acts as a benchmark on progress for women and ethnic minorities holding directorships. We also support initiatives like the FTSE 100 cross company mentoring programme which is backed by 33 chairmen and CEOs who are crucial in getting women into directorships. We established the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force, which is working to improve employment outcomes for ethnic minorities. It is working with employers, via representative bodies such as the CBI, to encourage greater diversity at senior levels in business. We are also taking measures in the Equality Bill to broaden the range of positive action measures that can be taken by employers or service providers to the full extent allowed by European law. In addition, the EHRC is conducting formal inquiries into the financial services sector and construction sector, as there is evidence that women and ethnic minorities are not fairly represented within these sectors. We will consider the results of these reviews carefully to see if further government action is needed.

EU: Regional Programmes

Lord Smith of Leigh: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will accept the offer from the European Union to extend the length of the regional programmes to allow them to benefit during the current recession.

Baroness Andrews: I refer my noble friend to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my right honourable friend the Minister for Local Government (John Healey) on 30 March 2009, Official Report, Commons, cols 37-38WS.
	Late last year, the European Commission offered member states the possibility of extending the 2000-06 programmes for a further six months until June 2009. The offer did not mean that there was any new money being offered by the EC. It was simply an offer of more time for those projects that had slipped against the previously planned schedule or those that had capacity to continue spending to produce additional outputs. There was little additional flexibility and it would have been unlikely that any new projects could be commissioned that met the requirements of the programmes and delivered in the timeframe available. The European Commission recently offered us the opportunity to review this decision. We have done so carefully but there remains no advantage in England accepting this.

Europol: Internet Check

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they have provided in the development of Europol's Check the Web portal.

Lord West of Spithead: The UK through police channels is one of the contributors of content to the developing Check the Web portal, and continues to support its development and encourage participation by other member states.

Female Genital Mutilation

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many reverse female circumcision operations have been carried out by the National Health Service in each of the past six years.

Baroness Thornton: The number of reverse female circumcision operations that have been carried out by the National Health Service in each of the past six years is not held centrally. There are over 12 specialist clinics in the NHS that treat women and girls who have been mutilated. All the clinics have trained and culturally sensitive staff who offer a range of healthcare services for women and girls, including reversal surgery (deinfibulation).

Firearms

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were (a) killed, and (b) injured, by an illegal firearm in the United Kingdom in (1) 1997, and (2) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Lord West of Spithead: Available data relate only to currently recorded homcides by police forces in England and Wales during the 2007-08 financial year. Two of the 53 shooting homicides involved licensed firearms, though it is not possible to determine from the homicide index whether or not the certificate was held by the person suspected of committing the offence. Unlicensed firearms (those not held on certificate) were used in 21 of the homicides. In the remaining 30 cases, it was not known whether or not the firearm was held on certificate.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 18 March (WA 40), whether the Answer recognised that (a) the York report on water fluoridation stated under 8.5 in the main body of the report that the meta-regression of bone fracture studies "should be interpreted with extreme caution" in its pooled estimate suggesting no effect; (b) a finding of "no clear association" is not the same as "no evidence" of risk; and (c) the York report contained some studies providing evidence of possible risks to health in Chapter 8 (bone health), Chapter 9 (cancer), and Chapter 10 (infant mortality, congenital defects and IQ) which indicated "a need for further high quality research" (12.3).

Baroness Thornton: Yes, we did take this into account. It is now nearly 10 years since the University of York conducted its review and the results of other research studies have been published. In a review published in 2007, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council found that people who drink fluoridated water have no higher or lower risk of bone fractures than those who drink non-fluoridated water and there is nothing to support claims of harm in relation to deaths from coronary heart disease, stillbirths, Down's syndrome, neural tube defects, clefts and kidney stones. The report is available at: www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/eh4lsyn.htm.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the "standard brief" on the effects of water fluoridation referred to in Appendix 2 paragraph 21 of the Chief Dental Officer's February 2008 letter of guidance (Gateway 9361) has been published; and what steps have been taken to ensure the accuracy of any statements in it concerning the York systematic scientific review.

Baroness Thornton: No, we have not published any briefing yet. We are considering the outcome of the consultation conducted by South Central Strategic Health Authority and will then decide what information, including research evidence, can best inform the public of the effects of fluoridation.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the recent decision by South Central Strategic Health Authority to fluoridate the water supplies in some areas of Southampton and Hampshire, against the wishes of 72 per cent of those who responded to public consultation and 38 per cent out of the 70 per cent who expressed any opinion in the telephone survey, is consistent with the statement by Lord Warner during the debate on the Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulations 2005: "let me dispel any suggestion, however, that we have diluted our commitment that fluoridation schemes would only be introduced where the local population were in favour" (8 March 2005, HL Deb, col. 706).

Baroness Thornton: The telephone survey conducted on behalf of South Central Strategic Health Authority (SHA) found 32 per cent of respondents in support, 38 per cent opposed and 19 per cent neither in support nor opposed. 23 per cent of respondents thought that fluoride was already added to their drinking water, while 69 per cent of respondents had little or no knowledge of fluoridation.
	Under Regulation 5 of the Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulations 2005, SHAs are required to take account of the cogency of the arguments made during a consultation. In this context, South Central SHA sought an independent review of claims made during the consultation that fluoridation reduced the intelligence quotient (IQ) of children. The review concluded that "the lack of a thorough consideration of confounding as a source of bias means that, from these studies alone, it is uncertain how far fluoride is responsible for any impairment in intellectual development seen. The amount of naturally occurring fluoride in drinking water and from other sources and the socioeconomic characteristics in the areas studied is different from the UK and so these studies do not have direct application to the local population of Southampton".
	The report of the review, entitled Independent Critical Appraisal of Selected Studies Reporting an Association between Fluoride in Drinking Water and IQ, is available at www.southcentral.nhs.uk/fluoridation/page.php?area id=9996&id=6. A copy has also been placed in the Library.

Foreign Policy

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how their foreign policy takes account of any human right for people to live wherever their economic circumstances allow.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Our foreign policy seeks to promote implementation by states of their human rights obligations, such as the right to freedom of movement as set out in Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which we are a party. Through business planning, our posts factor human rights into their efforts to deliver our strategic goals. Our approach in each specific country is determined by the human rights situation on the ground.

Freedom of Information

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many freedom of information requests the Northern Ireland Office has received in each year since 2004; how many were not met; how many required a fee to be paid; and how much fee income was collected each year in fees.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Freedom of Information Act, 2000 (FoI) came into operation on 1 January 2005. The following table provides details of the number of requests received by the Northern Ireland Office, how many were withheld in full, partially withheld and the number that were not met as the department did not hold the information requested.
	The department has only required and collected a fee in relation to two FoI requests, one in 2005 and one in 2007 and the amounts were £650 and £1,075 respectively.
	
		
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 (Q1-3) 
			 No. Requests Received 187 215 166 140 
			 Information withheld in full 24 29 30 12 
			 Information partially withheld 42 31 17 24 
			 Information Not Held 40 39 65 31 
		
	
	The MoJ has committed to publishing quarterly updates in relation to departmental performance under FoI, including information on both the volume and outcome of requests. The bulletins up to the 2008 third quarter can be found on the MoJ website at http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomofinformationquarterly.htm and in the Libraries of both Houses. MoJ will be publishing information from the 2008 fourth quarter in April 2009.

G20: London Summit

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the G20 Summit on 2 April was successful in introducing world-wide regulation of financial institutions.

Lord Myners: At the 2 April summit, leaders committed to "take action to build a stronger, more globally consistent, supervisory and regulatory framework for the future financial sector, which will support sustainable global growth and serve the needs of business and citizens". The full communique can be found at www.g20.org/pub_communiques.aspx.

Government Departments: Bottled Water

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many litres of bottled water were purchased by each government department in each of the past three years.

Lord Myners: This information is not held centrally and to collect it would incur disproportionate costs.

Government Departments: Databases

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many legal challenges under (a) the Human Rights Act 1998, and (b) data protection law, have been made in relation to each of the 46 government databases listed in the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust report Database State.

Lord Bach: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. Challenges under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Data Protection Act 1998 can arise under a wide range of causes of action including judicial reviews and applications to the Information Commissioner. It is, therefore, often not possible to distinguish cases based on the Data Protection Act or Human Rights Act without examining the case papers in detail. Each government department would be required to consider whether any challenge referred to one of the 46 databases and if either the Human Rights Act or Data Protection Act had allegedly been breached. Further, some of the databases listed in the report are not controlled by a government department so Her Majesty's Government may not be a respondent to proceedings about a particular database.

Government: IT Contracts

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and its predecessors since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.

Lord Carter of Barnes: The only information technology contract with a value of £50 million or over which has been entered into by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and its predecessors since 1997 has been its PFI agreement with Fujitsu Services, and this covers the provision of all desktop services, web infrastructure services, document management and other business applications, where many of these are charged for as part of overall, bundled, service charges.
	The basis of this contract, which reflects a 15-year agreement since award, is that ICT spend per annum is between £30 million to £36 million for the above services. The variances reflect old services being terminated and new ones being implemented.

Government: IT Contracts

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessors since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The full information requested is not readily available centrally within the Department for Children, Schools and Families. To respond fully would involve an extensive internal and external information collection exercise, which would exceed the recommended disproportionate cost threshold.
	The following information is available about the two information technology contracts exceeding £50 million the department has entered into since 1997.
	The ContactPoint information technology contract, which is due to run until 2014, has a total value in excess of £50 million and expenditure remains within budget at present.
	The department's Business Services Framework Agreement for the period January 2002 to September 2008 amounted to £128 million. The agreement covered call-off services spanning outsourced applications' maintenance and development services, hosting, specialist IT services and consultancy. Limited records show that the majority of the several hundred individual pieces of work were delivered to specification and under, plus 10 per cent of time and cost estimates.

Government: IT Contracts

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Ministry of Defence since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Government: IT Contracts

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessors since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Since the department was created there have been no such contracts.

Government: IT Contracts

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and its predecessors since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.

Lord Young of Norwood Green: No information technology contract entered into by the department or its agencies exceeds £50 million.

Government: IT Contracts

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Home Office since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.

Lord West of Spithead: Details of the Information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over that have been entered into by the Home Department since 1997 are provided in the attached table.
	All the contracts listed in the table are ongoing service contracts running over several years.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Information technology contract Date contract awarded Contract Value £ millions 
			 Home Office & UKBA—IT2000 provision of desktop, remote access, applications. Fujitsu 2000 £700 million 
			 UKBA—IND Procurement of Infrastructure, Development and Support (IPIDS): ATOS Origin 2004 £250 million 
			 UKBA. E-Borders—Trusted Borders Consortium 2008 £880 million 
			 Independent Safeguarding Authority—vetting and Barring Scheme: Logica 2007 £50 million 
			 Criminal Records Bureau—PPP Agreement : Capita 2000 £400 million 
			 IPS—PASS 1997 £360 million 
			 IPS—Admin IT: ATOS Origin 1999 £55 million

Government: IT Contracts

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Northern Ireland Office since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: There have been no information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over entered into by the Northern Ireland Office since 1997.

Guantanamo Bay: Binyam Mohamed

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total cost of transport by air and car, including accompanying officials, involved in returning Binyam Mohamed to the United Kingdom; and what are the budgeted ongoing costs while he remains in the United Kingdom.

Lord Malloch-Brown: An official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and from our Embassy in Washington took part in Mr Mohamed's return to the UK. They were accompanied by a Metropolitan Police Service doctor and seven police officers to ensure the security of the flight and to comply with police procedures during the return. They travelled to the US, then by charter flight to Guantanamo Bay, before returning to the UK with Mr Mohamed. A private charter was necessary to ensure security and because there is no other flight available from Guantanamo Bay to the UK. The total cost of the travel involved was £121,269. This includes cost of the charter flight (£105,695) and other travel costs, including scheduled flights from the UK to the US.
	Since Mr Mohamed has returned to the UK he has been entitled to support in accordance with his immigration status, which is being reviewed following his return.

Gulf War Illnesses

Lord Tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Defence was represented at the symposium on research into Gulf War illnesses held in the House of Lords on Tuesday 24 March.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Ministry of Defence was not represented at the symposium held in the House of Lords on 24 March. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans, Kevan Jones MP, received an invitation three days before the event took place but was already committed to another longstanding engagement overseas. My own Private Office did not receive an invitation.

Health: Cerebral Palsy

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the incidence of low birth weight in 2008; and how it has changed in the last five years;
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average cost of health and social care of a child with cerebral palsy;
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the correlation between cerebral palsy and low birth weight; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy; and how many children were newly diagnosed with cerebral palsy in 2008.

Baroness Thornton: This information is not collected centrally. Using data for England and Wales held by the Office for National Statistics, the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) at the University of Oxford gives the following figures for the incidence of low birth weight (<2,500g at birth):
	
		
			 Year Per cent 
			 2007 7.1 
			 2006 7.4 
			 2005 7.5 
			 2004 7.5 
			 2003 7.7 
		
	
	Information for 2008 is not yet available.
	This information can be found at www.statistics. gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=5768.
	Information provided by NPEU suggests it is difficult to accurately estimate the correlation between cerebral palsy and low birth weight. The overall incidence of cerebral palsy is about two per 1,000 live births. This would be equivalent in 2007 to about 1,520 children up to 16 years of age.
	Information is not available on the average cost in England or the United Kingdom of health and social care for a child with cerebral palsy.

Homelessness

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional help will be available to organisations and authorities to assist any increase in homelessness and rough sleeping as a result of the economic climate.

Baroness Andrews: We have allocated a total of £200 million to local authorities and voluntary organisations over the three years from 2008-09 to 2010-11 to support their strategies for tackling and preventing homelessness in their area. That includes rough sleeping.
	In addition, a further £80 million capital funding has been allocated through our Places of Change programme to work in partnership with voluntary organisations to build on the success of improving hostels and day centres.
	We also recently announced a £200 million mortgage rescue scheme to help vulnerable homeowners. The scheme is available to all local authorities and will aim to help up to 6,000 of the most vulnerable households avoid the trauma of repossession over the next two years. The scheme is now operational.
	The latest statistics show that the proportion of homelessness acceptances due to mortgage repossessions has remained at 4 per cent since the end of 2007.

Homelessness

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the available statistics for the number of people homeless in (a) London, and (b) the rest of England.

Baroness Andrews: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). These households are known as "accepted" households. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes so.
	Information on the numbers of households housed in temporary accommodation is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figure includes: those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which enquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.
	The number of "accepted" households and households in temporary accommodation in London and in the rest of England can be found in tables 3 and 7 respectively of the quarterly Statutory Homelessness Statistical Release. This is available on the web and in the Library: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1173159.xls
	Information is also collected on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night. The 2008 English rough sleeper estimate was 483, of which 238 were in London. A further breakdown of this count and the count guidance are published and can be found at the following web address: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/homelessness/roughsleeping/.

Homelessness

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether statistical records are updated when homeless people find their own accommodation; and whether there is a record of those who return to homelessness.

Baroness Andrews: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes so.
	The above local authority data include counts of households for whom a main duty is ended during a quarter. Some of these may have found their own accommodation, but we cannot identify these cases specifically within the figures.
	The local authority data also include counts of numbers of applicants who are accepted as owed a main homelessness duty, during a quarter, and had also been accepted within the previous two years.

Hotel and Hostels

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) hotels, and (b) hostels there are in the United Kingdom.

Lord Davies of Oldham: In 2008 there were (a) 12,560 hotels and (b) 350 hostels in the United Kingdom. (Figures taken from the Inter Departmental Business Register, UK Business: Activity, Size and Location 2008).

Houses of Parliament: Select Committees

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 17 March (WA 25), whether they will obtain from each government department information to enable them to hold information centrally on how many occasions and in what circumstances Ministers have refused to give evidence to parliamentary Select Committees during the past five years.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: There are no plans to do so.

Housing

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the regional housing pot allocations for 2009—10 for each housing authority that contains or is included in a housing market renewal pathfinder area; and what is the percentage change from their allocation in 2008—09;
	To ask Her Majesty's Government which local authorities in the north-west have had cuts in their allocations of the regional housing pot for 2009—10; what is the reduction in each case, in monetary terms and as a percentage; and what is the latest ranking of each of those authorities amongst the 46 housing authorities in the region for the proportion of unfit dwellings;
	To ask Her Majesty's Government why there have been changes in the allocations of the regional housing pot to local authorities in the north-west between 2008—09 and 2009—10;
	To ask Her Majesty's Government which local authorities outside the north-west have been given a regional housing pot allocation for 2009—10 which is 90 per cent or less of their allocation in 2008—09; and what is the reduction in each case, in monetary terms and as a percentage; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government which Minister or Ministers are responsible for making the regional housing pot allocations to local authorities; and what is the role of the Ministers for the Regions in that regard.

Baroness Andrews: Information on the regional housing pot budget of £4 billion for 2009-10 is not available by local authority.
	The regional housing pot consists of three separate programmes: the Homes and Communities Agency's National Affordable Housing programme, the Local Authority Decent Homes programme and the Private Sector Renewal and Regeneration programme.
	The Affordable Housing programme element of the regional housing pot is allocated to registered social landlords and other affordable housing providers on the basis of competitive bidding and meeting criteria of value for money; quality; deliverability; and fit with national, regional and local priorities. Funding allocations for local authority decent homes and private sector renewal elements are made direct to local authorities based on recommendations from the regional assemblies and, in the case of London, the mayor.
	The Minister for Housing and Planning is responsible for making decisions on allocations to each region of regional housing pot funding. The regional housing pot is distributed between each region formulaically, the formula being made up of indicators reflecting national policy objectives.
	Regional assemblies and, in London, the mayor make recommendations to the Minister for Housing and Planning on the funding priorities within their area.
	Ministers for the regions have no direct role in the regional housing pot distribution.

Human Rights

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 23 March (WA 97—98) on human rights in foreign countries, in which countries they work with stakeholders to promote human rights.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) works with a wide range of stakeholders, including Governments, international institutions, non-governmental organisations and civil society, in countries around the world to promote human rights.
	Our recently published annual report on human rights gives many examples of the work that we do on human rights in terms of the FCO's overall strategic objectives, our major thematic preoccupations and in the countries of most concern where human rights problems are frequent or endemic.
	A copy of this report can be found online at www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/pdf15/human-rights-2008.
	This report was laid before Parliament on 26 March 2009 (Command Paper number 7557).

Human Rights

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 13 March (WA 287), what is their assessment of the current level of human rights protection in the Republic of Ireland.

Lord Drayson: The Government have made no assessment of the current level of human rights protection in Ireland.

Human Rights

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 18 March (WA 45—46), why a list of cases in respect of which the United Kingdom has requested a referral to the European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber is not available; what were the results of the 14 United Kingdom cases between 1 January 2004 and 10 March 2008; and what are the general criteria used when a decision to seek a referral is made.

Lord Malloch-Brown: A list of referral requests is not available because the Government do not keep statistics of such requests.
	Of the 14 cases referred to, six resulted in a finding of one or more violations of the convention.
	In deciding whether to request a referral to the Grand Chamber, the Government consider each case on its merits and in the light of Article 43 of the convention, which provides for requests to be accepted if the case raises a serious question affecting the interpretation or application of the convention or its protocols, or a serious issue of general importance.

Immigration

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK Border Agency Case Resolution Directorate prioritises cases where a consent order is made in the High Court whereby the claimant agrees to withdraw an application for judicial review and the Secretary of State agrees to reconsider a claimant's case.

Lord West of Spithead: The Case Resolution Directorate processes cases in line with the four priorities announced by the Home Secretary in July 2006. A consent order will only agree to prioritise a case in line with those priorities and is dependent on an assessment of the individual facts of the case concerned.

Immigration

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in each of the last five years have been denied entry into the United Kingdom on grounds of (a) national security, and (b) threat to public harmony.

Lord West of Spithead: In total, 3,829 persons were refused entry at the UK border on grounds relating to the public good. This figure cannot be broken down into a) national security and b) threat to public harmony, as specific reasons on refusals relating to the public good are only recorded under the categories "Exclusion Conducive to the Public Good" or "(EEA) Regulations 2006". The annual breakdown for these types of refusal in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Number of refusals 
			 2004 977 
			 2005 645 
			 2006 626 
			 2007 828 
			 2008 753 
			 Total 3829

Immigration: France

Baroness Hanham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many immigrants have illegally entered the United Kingdom through the Channel Tunnel since the closure of the French Red Cross centre at Sangatte.

Lord West of Spithead: By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately the number of illegal immigrants.

Internet: Social Networking Sites

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what monitoring of social networking sites is undertaken by government departments, agencies or bodies.

Lord West of Spithead: The Government do not monitor social networking sites.

Iran

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that Camp Ashraf residents who are members of the People's Mujaheddin Organisation of Iran are not expelled to Iran by the Iraqi authorities; and what alternatives to that they have proposed through the United Nations.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Responsibility for the security and administration of Camp Ashraf was transferred on 1 January 2009 from the US to the Iraqi authorities. Prior to this handover the US received assurances from the Iraqi authorities towards their clear commitment to the humane treatment and continued well-being of the camp residents. The US retains a presence at the camp in an advisory/monitoring capacity.
	The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights visits the camp and has delivered assurances to a representative body of the residents. The International Committee of the Red Cross follows developments at the camp closely and continues to visit. It also discusses on a confidential basis all of the issues surrounding the camp with the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) and the Iraqi and US authorities.
	The UN High Commission for Refugees has previously determined that Camp Ashraf residents do not qualify as refugees. While there is no evidence to suggest that the Government of Iraq intend forcibly to relocate the residents, our Embassy in Baghdad has requested a call on the Ministry of Human Rights to make known the level of interest in this issue in the UK and to remind the Iraqi Government of their earlier assurances. Our Embassy in Baghdad is also pursuing the possibility of a visit to the camp by a consular official.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the appropriate body to decide whether Israel is imposing illegal collective punishments on the Palestinian population by (a) its partial blockade of Gaza, during the current ceasefire and the previous one in 2008, and (b) imposing checkpoints within the occupied West Bank; and whether they will consider initiating legal action to decide those issues.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We have made very clear our concerns about Israeli restrictions on Gaza, both last year and now; and about restrictions on movement and access in the West Bank.
	We judge that the way to resolve these issues is through political engagement, such as that led by the quartet envoy the right honourable Tony Blair, and through real progress towards a negotiated solution.
	We also support the International Committee of the Red Cross in its international mandate to promote respect for international humanitarian law by states. It monitors the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and where necessary takes up concerns confidentially with Israel in order to seek improvements.

Knighthoods

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many knighthoods have been conferred on non-United Kingdom citizens in each of the past 10 years.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Knighthoods conferred by the UK honours system on non-UK citizens who are citizens of HM The Queen's Realms are published in the London Gazette which is available online at: www.gazettes-online.co.uk
	Honorary knighthoods conferred by the UK honours system on other non-UK citizens are not published in the London Gazette, but have been published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website since 2007 which is available online at: www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/what-we-do/honours
	The total number of honorary knighthoods awarded in the Order of the Bath, Order of St Michael and St George, and Order of the British Empire in each of the past 10 years is as follows:
	
		
			 1998 17 
			 1999 14 
			 2000 38 
			 2001 13 
			 2002 10 
			 2003 12 
			 2004 19 
			 2005 11 
			 2006 14 
			 2007 6 
			 2008 7 
		
	
	Honorary knighthoods in the Royal Victorian Order have not been included as they are the personal gift of HM The Queen, and are not administered by the FCO.

Licensing Act

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 24 March (WA 122), whether the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 13 October 2008 saying "We hope to publish a consultation document in the autumn, and subject to the outcome, to have the exemptions in place by spring 2009" still applies, except as to timing; and, if so, what are the reasons for delay.

Lord Carter of Barnes: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport continues to consider how best to encourage live music, including the possibility of workable exemptions from the Licensing Act 2003. This is a difficult issue to resolve as any exemption would need to maintain necessary public protections in accordance with the licensing objectives. We will consult on any proposed exemption before implementation.

Ministry of Justice: IT Contracts

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Ministry of Justice and its predecessors since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.

Lord Bach: The Ministry of Justice was established in May 2007 and has not entered into any information and communication technology (ICT) contracts over a value of £50 million. Before May 2007, the ICT responsibilities of the future Ministry of Justice were spread among the former Department for Constitutional Affairs, parts of the Home Office and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. The following contracts, with values greater than £50 million, were entered into by those predecessor departments and are still extant:
	DISC with suppliers Logica Ltd and ATOS Origin Ltd.ARAMIS with Liberata Ltd.Quantum with Electronic Data Systems UK.LIBRA with Fujitsu and Accenture UK Ltd.OMNI with Steria Ltd.CJS Exchange with IBM and Steria Ltd.
	These are current, expandable development contracts whose value is dependent on use. Budgets and timescales are negotiated for each project as they are contracted, and managed to completion.
	The information required to provide an answer on contracts which are no longer running in the Ministry of Justice's predecessor departments is not held centrally.

Money: Northern Bank Notes

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what value of Northern Bank notes, other than the amount stolen in the December 2004 robbery, was HM Treasury notified was not returned in the Northern Bank's recall of notes.

Lord Myners: The existing regulatory regime for Northern Ireland banknotes requires note issuing banks to inform HM Revenue and Customs of the level of backing assets being held to reflect the level of notes in circulation. They are not required to provide a specific breakdown of notes that have been recalled.

National DNA Database

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are responding to the finding of the European Court of Human Rights in December 2008 that keeping the DNA of innocent people on the national DNA database contravenes the European Convention on Human Rights.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will remove the profiles of 500,000 innocent people from the national DNA database; and whether they will review the procedure for applying for a profile to be removed.

Lord West of Spithead: The Government introduced an amendment at Commons Committee stage to the Policing and Crime Bill to provide for regulations on the retention, use and governance of DNA to be laid before Parliament shortly. The content of the regulations will be informed by a public consultation exercise before the summer on proposals to implement the judgment.

National DNA Database

Lord Hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are on the national DNA database in the east of England; and how that compares to the other English regions.

Lord West of Spithead: The table shows the number of subject profiles held on the national DNA database (NDNAD) by forces in England and Wales as at 31 March 2009. The forces have been grouped by Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) region and a total figure has been given for each region.
	Information on the NDNAD is recorded and held on the basis of the police force which took the DNA sample. As address details are not recorded on the NDNAD, it is not possible to say how many people resident in any one area have profiles on the NDNAD. Profiles held by any one police force will include people who have been sampled by that force but are not resident within the force area, and will exclude people who are resident in that force area but have had their sample taken by another force.
	The number of subject profiles held on the NDNAD is not the same as the number of individuals with a profile on the database. As it is possible for a profile to be loaded onto the NDNAD on more than one occasion, some profiles held on the NDNAD are a replicata. This can occur, for example, if the person provided different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests, or because profiles are upgraded. The replication rate for the NDNAD as a whole is currently estimated at 13.5 per cent although the rate may vary between police forces.
	
		
			 ACPO Region Force Number of subject profiles held 
			 East Midlands Derbyshire 95,485 
			  Nottinghamshire 108,464 
			  Lincolnshire 53,827 
			  Leicestershire 72,893 
			  Northamptonshire 49,028 
			  East Midlands 379,697 
			 Eastern Cambridgeshire 59,370 
			  Norfolk 70,768 
			  Suffolk 52,275 
			  Bedfordshire 50,756 
			  Hertfordshire 82,157 
			  Essex 140,103 
			  Eastern 455,429 
			 London Metropolitan Police 898,192 
			  City Of London Police 24,631 
			  London 922,823 
			 North East Northumbria 183,640 
			  Durham 57,141 
			  North Yorkshire 62,360 
			  West Yorkshire 235,519 
			  South Yorkshire 129,833 
			  Humberside 89,848 
			  Cleveland 57,073 
			  North East 815,414 
			 North West Cumbria 50,776 
			  Lancashire 156,202 
			  Merseyside 152,013 
			  Greater Manchester Police 270,037 
			  Cheshire 87,873 
			  North West 716,901 
			 South East Thames Valley 166,911 
			  Hampshire 160,630 
			  Surrey 66,406 
			  Kent 155,698 
			  Sussex 123,078 
			  South East 672,723 
			 South Western Devon and Cornwall 120,762 
			  Avon and Somerset 114,196 
			  Gloucestershire 49,240 
			  Wiltshire 54,341 
			  Dorset 54,954 
			  South Western 393,493 
			 Wales North Wales 64,719 
			  Gwent 56,461 
			  South Wales Constabulary 127,784 
			  Dyfed-Powys 53,377 
			  Wales 302,341 
			 West Midlands West Midlands 320,688 
			  Staffordshire 109,442 
			  West Mercia 84,234 
			  Warwickshire Police 35,803 
			  West Midlands 550,167 
		
	
	Total subject profiles for all England and Wales forces 5,208,988.
	Total estimated individuals for all England and Wales forces 4,505,775.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 30 March (WA 200) concerning the report of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, whether the minority reports will be part of the public consultation.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: There is nothing further I can add to the Answer given on 30 March 2009, Official Report, col. WA 200.

Northern Ireland Office: Bonuses

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 19 March (WA 79), why the percentage of the Northern Ireland Office senior staff receiving end-of-year bonuses dropped from 90.6 per cent in 2004—05 to 14 per cent in 2005—06.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 19 March, Official Report, col. WA 79. A revised policy in relation to the payment of non-consolidated bonuses to staff at the end of the year was introduced in 2005-06 and this resulted in the drop.

Northern Ireland Office: Bonuses

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Northern Ireland Office will ensure that bonus payments to its officials are allocated to front-line programmes this financial year.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Decisions on future pay awards for Northern Ireland Office officials will be made following receipt of government guidance.

Northern Ireland Office: Bonuses

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 30 March (WA 198) concerning bonuses for officials of the Northern Ireland Office, whether the funding allocated is divided equally among staff selected for a bonus or whether it is distributed to those deemed to deserve a bonus in proportion to meritorious work.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Non-consolidated performance payments for Northern Ireland Office senior civil servants are distributed in line with Cabinet Office guidance.
	Non-consolidated performance payments for Northern Ireland Office officials in grades D2 to A are equal amounts calculated according to each grade. Payments have been awarded to 20 per cent of officials in each grade who are considered to meet the criteria for an award.
	Non-consolidated special performance payments are awarded to Northern Ireland Office officials who have undertaken valuable work over and above what can be usually expected of them. The amount of the award made is consistent with the level of the special accomplishment that has been achieved. Each nomination is considered on its own merits and is approved by respective directors.

Northern Ireland Office: Energy

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the Northern Ireland Office's 170 initiatives for energy saving; and which have been successful.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: As noted in a previous Answer of 18 March, Official Report, cols WA 50-51, to provide a more detailed breakdown of the 170 separate efficiency initiatives would require significant staff resources which would be in excess of the £750 disproportionate cost threshold.
	However, the Northern Ireland Office's Revised Efficiency Technical Note which is published on the internet at www.nio.gov.uk may provide some of the information requested.

Northern Ireland Office: Mobile Phones

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff in the Northern Ireland Office require a mobile telephone for business purposes; and what is that figure as a percentage of the total number of staff.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: 343 staff in the Northern Ireland office require a mobile telephone for business purposes and this represents 26 per cent of the total number of staff.

Northern Ireland Office: Salaries and Expenses

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officials in the Northern Ireland Office are on salaries and expenses which are in excess of (a) £75,000; (b) £100,000; (c) £125,000; and (d) £150,000 per annum.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Details of salary bands for Northern Ireland Office officials can be found in the 2008 Departmental Report, which can be accessed at:
	www.nio.gov.uk/northern_Ireland_office_ departmental_report_2008.pdf.
	Northern Ireland Office staff are reimbursed for receipted expenditure incurred in relation to their official duties.
	The following table illustrates the number of staff in the following pay bands.
	
		
			 Salary Band No of Staff 
			 £75,000 - £99,999 11 
			 £100,000 - £124,999 5 
			 £125,000 - £124,999 0 
			 £125,000 - £159,999 1

Northern Ireland Office: Staff Sickness

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of staff of the Northern Ireland Office were on long-term sick leave in 2007 and 2008; and what percentage of the total number of staff those figures represent.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Statistics provided by the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency show that 164 staff in the Northern Ireland Office had one or more periods of long-term absence due to ill health in 2007-08 representing 8.4 per cent of staff. Long-term absence is defined as a period of 20 working days or more.

Northern Ireland Office: Taxis

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 13 January (WA 135) concerning the cost of taxis for the Northern Ireland Office, whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all the information relating to taxi travel during the past financial year.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Following a review in 2007 the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) adopted a policy which made greater use of taxis rather than private hire cars. This policy has generated estimated whole year net savings of £150,000.
	Each member of staff is advised that, before any business-related journey is made, the most cost effective means of transport must be considered. Where the use of public transport or private car is not possible or economic, then the journey may be made by taxi.
	The NIO keeps the cost of travel on official business under regular review. Ministers do not, however, intend to publish detailed information about taxi travel during the last financial year.

Northern Ireland Office: Travel

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 19 March (WA 80) concerning travel and subsistence claims for staff in the Northern Ireland Office, why the number of claims has increased by 35 per cent between 1998—99 and 2007—08.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The main reason for the increase in the number of travel and subsistence claims processed is an increase in the number of staff employed by the department.
	In the period for which comparable figures are available (2001-02 to 2007-08), departmental records show the number of travel and subsistence claims processed by the Northern Ireland Office, excluding agencies and executive NDPBs, has fallen in proportion to the number of staff employed.
	In 2001-02, 3,111 claims were processed for 886 staff employed; this gives an average number of claims per person of 3.5.
	In 2007-08, 4,025 claims were processed for 1,251 staff employed; this gives an average number of claims per person of 3.2.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 29 January (WA 78), who made the policy decision that questions for written answer in the House of Lords on the operations of Northern Ireland non-departmental public bodies will not be forwarded to the bodies by the Northern Ireland Office; why; and whether they will review the matter to bring it into line with the policy of the Government Equalities Office.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The policy on dealing with operational questions for Northern Ireland Office non-departmental public bodies was decided by Ministers in that department. Ministers have decided that referring noble Lords to the relevant independent body is the most appropriate way to deal with such operational questions.
	The Northern Ireland Office does not have any plans to review this policy.

Northern Ireland: Operation Banner

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will commission an inquiry in the form of an historical investigation into the causes of the 40-year conflict in Northern Ireland, and their political and military policies during Operation Banner since 1968.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Government are currently considering the recommendations contained in the report of the Consultative Group on the Past. The Government are listening to a wide range of views on how Northern Ireland society can best approach the legacy of the events of the past 40 years before deciding on the way forward.

Olympic Games 2012: Employment

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to ensure that black and minority ethnic communities in East London benefit from contracts offered by the organisers of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, particularly with regard to employment opportunities.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government are committed to maximising the wide range of benefits from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups in East London and across the wider UK.
	The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is working with its contractors to encourage and facilitate diversity in their supply chains, and providing them with an opportunity to meet informally with local businesses.
	The ODA's Equalities and Inclusion team also undertakes business outreach activity in the local community, in particular with BAME groups, to raise awareness of Games-related business opportunities. This focuses on the CompeteFor system which is designed to give businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), access to opportunities in London 2012's supply chains, and provides links to business support services.
	Additionally, the ODA works with the five host boroughs, local grass roots and business support organisations, such as East London Business Place and Supply London, to target minority ethnic owned businesses to tell them how they can get involved in Games-related business opportunities, including details of business support services available to them.
	The Department for Business and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has run a series of 2012 business workshops across the country targeting BAME-owned businesses. In September 2008, representatives from 250 diverse businesses attended an event in London, which was aimed at dispelling the myth that only large businesses can benefit from 2012 opportunities. The workshop showed BAME-owned businesses how they can bid for Games-related contracts including signposting them to business support through Business Link. BERR is looking to run a similar event in late autumn.
	There is also ongoing work by the ODA and its partners to ensure that local people benefit in terms of jobs and training. The London 2012 "Jobs, Skills, Futures" brokerage works in partnership with the contractors on the Olympic Park to identify all job vacancies that can be made available to local people. These are offered exclusively and equally to each of the five host borough (Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Greenwich and Hackney) employment brokerages for a period of two days (48 hours). If no suitable candidates are put forward by the local employment brokerages, all vacancies are then made available throughout London (through Relay London jobs) for a further two days and after this time they are advertised nationally.

Olympic Games 2012: Employment

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether black and minority ethnic and other local people in East London have gained proportionate employment opportunities from the investment in the developments for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), its partners in the five host boroughs and Jobcentre Plus, aim to ensure local people, including people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are well placed to benefit from employment and training on the Olympic Park. The London 2012 "Jobs, Skills, Futures" brokerage works in partnership with the contractors on the Olympic Park to identify all job vacancies that can be made available to local people.
	The figures published by the ODA in January 2009 show that there are 3,315 people working on the Olympic Park of which 751 (23 per cent) were residents of the five host boroughs and 561 (17 per cent) were defined as BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic).
	The table below provides a breakdown of the number of BAME people from each of the five host boroughs working on site in January.
	
		
			 Borough Contractor workforce number BAME - expressed as aproportion of a borough'scontractor workforce 
			 Hackney 99 38% 
			 Waltham Forest 160 29% 
			 Newham 275 31% 
			 Tower hamlets 90 32% 
			 Greenwich 127 43% 
			 Total 751

Pensions

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to secure the legal reduction of certain senior bank directors' pension entitlements.

Lord Myners: UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI), which manages the Government's shareholdings in financial institutions on a commercial and arm's-length basis, has been overseeing the remuneration conditions attached to subscribing to the Government's recapitalisation fund, and the Treasury's Asset Protection Scheme. UKFI has worked to ensure management incentivisation based on long-term, sustainable performance and no rewards for failure, in order to protect the interest of the taxpayer as a shareholder.
	With the agreement of UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI), Sir Philip Hampton, the new chairman of RBS, has appointed a senior independent QC to carry out a full legal investigation of the issues relating to Sir Fred Goodwin's pension. This investigation is ongoing.

Pensions

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the due diligence undertaken in respect of Sir Fred Goodwin's pension.

Lord Myners: The Government were not involved in negotiating and did not approve or sign off Sir Fred Goodwin's pension or the basis of his departure from the company. This was a matter for the directors of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
	UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI) has agreed with the banks in which the Government have investments that they will assure themselves that all payouts to former directors were no more than legally necessary.
	With the agreement of UKFI, Sir Philip Hampton, the new chairman of RBS, has appointed a senior independent QC to carry out a full legal investigation of the issues relating to Sir Fred Goodwin's pension. This investigation is ongoing.

Police: Databases

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were included in the police DNA database in each year for which data are available.

Lord West of Spithead: The National DNA Database (NDNAD) is a continually changing database, so it is not possible to give the total number of profiles held on it at the end of each year retrospectively. However, the table gives the number of subject profiles added to the NDNAD by English and Welsh forces in each year since its inception. The numbers cannot be added together to give the total number of subject profiles on the NDNAD, as some profiles will have been removed throughout each year.
	It should be noted that the number of subject profiles held on the NDNAD is not the same as the number of individuals with a profile on the database. As it is possible for a profile to be loaded onto the NDNAD on more than one occasion, some profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates. This can occur, for example, if the person provided different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests, or because profiles are upgraded. The estimated replication rate for the NDNAD is currently 13.5 per cent.
	At 30 March 2009, there were 5,258,779 subject profiles on the NDNAD held by England and Wales forces. Taking the estimated replication rate into account, this represents an estimated 4,548,844 individuals.

Police: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the estimated cost of policing the student riot which took place on 17 March in Belfast's Ormeau Road area.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the noble Lord, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Police: Television Interviews

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to restrict or prohibit the giving of television interviews by police officers while driving a police car on a public road.

Lord West of Spithead: There are no plans to restrict or prohibit the giving of television interviews by police officers while driving a police car on a public road and the decision to give such interviews is a matter for each individual force. Police drivers, like all drivers, have a legal responsibility to have proper control of their vehicles at all times and failure to do so can result in prosecution.

Pollution: Airborne Particles

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have complied with the requirements of the Letter of Formal Notice from the European Commission in respect of dangerous airborne particles (PM10) dated 29 January; whether they met the deadline for a response; and what was the substance of their response.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The substance of the UK government response to the recent Letter of Formal Notice is that, following public consultation, the UK Government expect to submit shortly their application to use the additional time available under directive 2008/50/EC to meet the PM10 limit value for eight UK zones/agglomerations where exceedences since 2005 have been reported to the European Commission, and remain following permissible adjustments. The UK Government have responded within the two-month deadline set by the European Commission in its Letter of Formal Notice.

Post Office: Banking

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any formal agreement was made with the Government of the Republic of Ireland to underwrite personal savings accounts in the Post Office which were transferred to Irish banks.

Lord Myners: As set out in my Written Answer to the noble Lord, Lord Lawson of Blaby, on 11 March 2009 (Official Report, col. WA 261), some savings accounts at the Post Office are provided through a joint venture with the Bank of Ireland Group. These are mainly instant access accounts, cash ISAs and fixed-term deposits. Those deposits are covered up to a level of €100,000 by the Irish deposit guarantee scheme, under the terms of the Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive.
	In addition to the protection of the Irish Deposit Guarantee Scheme, the Irish Government announced on 30 September 2008 that they would guarantee certain deposits with Irish banks, including all retail deposits, until 29 September 2010. Other Post Office savings accounts are provided by FSA-authorised firms and are guaranteed under the rules of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Depositors have been informed about the guarantee arrangements.

Prisoners: Compensation

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 26 March (WA 166) concerning compensation for early release of prisoners, whether compensation has been or could be paid to prisoners on any form of early release.

Lord Bach: No compensation has been nor will be paid to prisoners for their early release. However, compensation could be paid to prisoners on early release for matters unrelated to that release itself, e.g. for personal injury.

Prisoners: Suicide

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the race and faith of each prisoner who has committed suicide in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last three years.

Lord Bach: Any death in custody is a tragic event. The Government are committed to learning from such events and reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths in prison custody. The National Offender Management Service has a broad, integrated and evidence-based prisoner suicide prevention and self-harm management strategy that seeks to reduce the distress of all those in prison. This encompasses a wide spectrum of prison and Department of Health work around such issues as mental health, substance misuse and resettlement. Any prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm is cared for using the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) procedures.
	The three tables below detail the requested numbers of self-inflicted deaths by broad ethnicity and recorded religion group, for the calendar years 2006 to 2008.
	
		
			 2006 
			 Recorded Religion group Asian Black Mixed Other White Total Religion 
			 Buddhist 2 2 3% 
			 Christian  3   27 30 45% 
			 Muslim 1 1 1% 
			 No Religion 1 2   26 30 45% 
			 Other 11 2 3% 
			 Not recorded  2 3% 
			 Total  5 0 1 58 67 100% 
			 Ethnicity % 4% 7% 0% 1% 87% 100%  
		
	
	
		
			 2007 
			 Recorded Religion group Asian Black Mixed Other White Total Religion 
			 Buddhist  11 1% 
			 Christian  4 1  40 45 49% 
			 Muslim  4  2 3 9 10% 
			 No Religion 4 2   21 27 29% 
			 Other 11 2 2% 
			 Not recorded 17 8 9% 
			 Total 6 11 1 2 72 92 100% 
			 Ethnicity % 7% 12% 1% 2% 78% 100%  
		
	
	
		
			 2008 
			 Recorded Religion group Asian Black Mixed Other White Total Religion 
			 Buddhist 2 2 3% 
			 Christian 23 24 40% 
			 Muslim 3  1 1 1 6 10% 
			 No Religion 1  1  14 16 27% 
			 Other 3  5% 
			 Not recorded 9 9 15% 
			 Total 7 1 2 1 49 60 100% 
			 Ethnicity % 12% 2% 3% 2% 82% 100%  
		
	
	Ethnicity and religious faith figures are based on self-reported information provided by prisoners. Annual numbers of self-inflicted deaths in custody are subject to random and cyclical swings. Falls or rises from one year to the next are not good indicators of underlying trends. This is particularly true with those ethnic groups and religious faiths where overall numbers are relatively small. A more reliable measure is the three-year rolling average. The three-year rate to the end of 2007 fell to 102 per 100,000 from a peak of about 136 per 100,000, (for the years ending September 2004).

Public Sector Databases

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the legality of existing public sector databases.

Lord Bach: The Government keep their databases under regular review to ensure compliance with both the Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act. Following the Government's data handling review, all new government databases are subject to an impact assessment specifically to assess the proportionality and legality of the intended data processing.

Questions for Written Answer: Unanswered Questions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of House of Lords Questions for Written Answer not answered by the Northern Ireland Office within the required two weeks; and what plans they have to reduce the number of Questions not answered within two weeks.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: During this Session (tabled up to and including 13 March), 159 Questions have been tabled in the House of Lords for the Northern Ireland Office, 149 of them tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Laird.
	88 of these Questions—55 per cent of the total—were answered within two weeks. The department continues to look at ways of improving its performance in responding to parliamentary Questions.
	Although some of the Questions are straightforward, many require the collation and checking of figures or the acquisition of information from third parties. More complex Questions of this kind take longer to answer. All Lords Questions answered by the Northern Ireland Office are cleared by a senior civil servant before consideration by Ministers.
	The Treasury has calculated that the average cost of answering a Written Parliamentary Question is £149. This information was contained in a Written Ministerial Statement made by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury on 8 December 2008, Official Report, Commons, col. 24WS.

Railways: High-speed Lines

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in planning a second high-speed railway line from the south coast to Scotland via Yorkshire.

Lord Adonis: High Speed Twohas been formed to help develop the case for high-speed services between London and Scotland. I have written to Sir David Rowlands at High Speed Twosetting out what the Government expect of the company. A copy of this letter is available in the Libraries of the House.
	As a first stage, High Speed Two will report by the end of the year with a proposed route from London to the West Midlands, setting out any necessary options. It will also consider the potential for new lines to serve the north of England and Scotland, providing advice on the potential development of a high-speed line beyond the West Midlands, at the level of broad "corridors". We have asked the company to consider in particular the potential for the new line to extend to the conurbations of Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, the north-east and Scotland.

Railways: London Midland

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of London Midland; and whether they plan to discuss the matter with the company.

Lord Adonis: In the year to 28 February 2009 London Midland achieved an average punctuality of 86.5 per cent across the franchise as a whole and 81.6 per cent during the four weeks ending on that date.
	Improving rail performance is a key objective for the Department for Transport. Joint action plans are in place between Network Rail and London Midland to address performance issues. London Midland has also developed an improvement plan, progress against which is monitored regularly. Minsters meet senior representatives of the rail industry every four weeks to discuss performance.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether public authorities, as defined in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, will be able to access communications data on internet access, internet email or internet telephony (a) before the Government's planned consultation on the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, or (b) before the Government bring forward a statutory instrument following their consultation on the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Lord West of Spithead: Parliament has granted a range of public authorities the ability to access communications data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. They will retain this ability until or unless Parliament withdraws it.

Roger Casement: Review of Records

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the decision made in January 1999 to withhold 13 pages of documents on Roger Casement's Irish Brigade from file KV2/10 and to redact a name in file KV2/8 when they were passed to the National Archives at Kew.

Lord West of Spithead: On examination of the file, KV2/10 it appears that there are no pages missing from 1921, the period covered by the file. A retention note at the front of the file states that 13 pages have been retained but it does not describe the pages. It is possible that these pages relate to a later assessment of whether the historic content of the file should be retained or released. The Security Service has no record of the 13 pages referred to and, in the circumstances, further review is not possible.
	The Security Service has released its files on Roger Casement subject only to limited redactions which are still necessary on national security grounds; this includes redaction in file KV2/8.

Royal Mail

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs of Royal Mail services vis-à-vis postal delivery systems in France, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Baroness Vadera: Postcomm, the postal market regulator, looks at Royal Mail's costs compared with other European universal service providers (USP) to inform ad hoc and periodical reviews of Royal Mail's operations—for example, for setting price controls. The reviews use commercially confidential cost data from Royal Mail Group and Letters and publicly available cost data from the annual reports of other USPs. The comparisons are usually not published due to their commercially sensitive nature for Royal Mail.
	Compared to some other European USPs, Royal Mail's operations model employs low capital and high labour resources. For instance, Royal Mail has labour costs of around 66 per cent of its revenues. This compares to the USPs of Germany and Italy with around 28 per cent and around 34 per cent labour costs respectively. In contrast, the operational models used by the USPs in France and Spain are more similar to Royal Mail with labour costs at around 65 per cent and 69 per cent respectively.
	General information concerning postal regimes in other European countries can be found in the 2008 Ecorys report on developments in the postal sector—a pan-European study commissioned by the European Commission's postal unit: http://ec.europa.eu/internal_ market/post/doc/studies/2008-ecorys-final_en.pdf
	The Hooper Report, Modernise or Decline, also drew on international comparisons of costs. The report can be found on the department's website: http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/sectors/postalservices/Review/page45129.html

Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are proposing to charge the Royal National Lifeboat Institution for the use of radio spectrum for communication between lifeboat stations and vessels, and for communication between lifeboat stations; if so, why; and how much.

Lord Carter of Barnes: Charges for the use of radio spectrum are a matter for the Office of Communications (Ofcom) rather than government.
	The RNLI, like all other users of spectrum, already pays fees for its spectrum licences. As a charity with a "safety of life in an emergency" objective, the RNLI enjoys a 50 per cent discount on spectrum fees which it pays. It is liable to pay about £40,000 per year (after discount).
	Ofcom has proposed that in future, fees for these maritime VHF channels should vary according to the type of use: for example, how powerful the transmission is and how much demand there is for radio channels in the particular locality, instead of being based only on administrative cost. This is the same approach as has been used for many years to charge for the use of spectrum by the Ministry of Defence, emergency services and commercial users. It is intended to help ensure that spectrum is used efficiently. Under these proposals, some current users (who use low power transmitters and/or are in areas of low demand) would pay less than they currently do now. Others (with high power transmitters and/or in areas of high demand) would pay more. Ofcom's initial proposals were for fees which would range from £75 to £1,480 per year for a radio channel at a transmitter site.
	However, Ofcom will also offer organisations that have a large number of transmitters around the country the option of taking out a licence that allows them to operate any number of transmitters across the UK. This arrangement acts effectively like a volume discount. It already operates well with spectrum licences granted in other sectors, and Ofcom believes it would be logical to apply the same rules to maritime licences. Ofcom expects that for widespread organisations like the RNLI this would be much cheaper than paying separate fees for each channel at each location, and could lead to a reduction in fees compared to now. Ofcom estimates that, based on the RNLI's usage, its fee under the new arrangements would be less than £20,000.
	Ofcom expects to publish a second more detailed consultation on these proposals later this spring.

Sand Hills

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to help stop erosion of the sand hills on Formby coastline, in Sefton.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council is the authority responsible for coastal erosion matters at Formby. In partnership with other relevant organisations, it has developed a shoreline management plan for this stretch of coastline.
	The shoreline management plan determines the long-term policy for each stretch of coast, taking into account the natural processes and climate change, including sea level rise.
	The first generation shoreline management plan was completed in 1998. Since then, the coast has been carefully monitored to assess the amount of change taking place and any changes in the risk of coastal flooding. The policies for this stretch of coastline are currently under review in light of the latest climate change information, as part of the second generation of shoreline management plan development. This will help determine the longer term options for the coast in that location covering the next 100 years. The second generation plan is due to go out to consultation in the autumn this year.
	This part of the coast is designated as a site of special scientific interest. The current shoreline management plan review is therefore carefully considering the environmental value of the dune system, as part of the longer term options.

Schools: Performance Tables

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin on 2 April (HL 2339), why qualifications have to be approved by the Secretary of State for use in maintained schools before they can be reported in the achievement and attainment tables.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Including only qualifications approved under Section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 for funding in maintained schools ensures that the attainment reported in the achievement and attainment tables is properly comparable. To gain approval, such qualifications will have been accredited by Ofqual as meeting the necessary standard and be subject to Ofqual's regulation to ensure that that standard is maintained. They will also have met the criteria by which we judge qualifications to meet priorities for public funding. It is right that the Tables should reflect these priorities. It is particularly important to ensure that the attainment reflected by the "5 A*-C GCSEs including English and mathematics" indicator includes the priority aspects of learning in English and mathematics that the national curriculum reflects.

Senior Salaries Review Body

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 31 March (WS 83—84), what was the estimated size of the Department for Transport's non-consolidated performance-related pay pot for the senior Civil Service in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Lord Adonis: Pay arrangements for the Senior Civil Service are managed centrally by the Cabinet Office and are based on recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.

Senior Salaries Review Body

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 31 March (WS 83—84), what was the estimated size of the Ministry of Justice's non-consolidated performance-related pay pot for the senior Civil Service, in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Lord Bach: For members of the senior Civil Service, non-consolidated performance payments are allocated by the departmental pay committees to high-performing staff to reflect their individual contribution during the previous performance year. The size of the non-consolidated performance pay pot available for the senior Civil Service is specified in guidelines issued by Cabinet Office each year following the report of the Senior Salaries Review Body and is detailed below:
	
		
			 Performance year Non-consolidated performance pay pot % of total SCS salary bill 
			 2003-04 4% 
			 2004-05 5% 
			 2005-06 6.5% 
			 2006-07 7.6% 
			 2007-08 8.6%

Southport: Gasometer

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the gasometer in Southport will be removed.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The removal of a gasometer is normally a matter for its owner, which in this case is National Grid Gas Distribution.

Sport: Football Supporters

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are working with the Football Supporters' Federation to consider safety measures to protect British football fans travelling to Rome for the Champions League final.

Lord West of Spithead: English football safety and security experts are already working closely with UEFA and the host authorities to help minimise any safety and security risks to visiting fans at this year's Champions League and UEFA Cup finals. The Home Office will co-ordinate multi-agency preparations if any English teams are participating. The Football Supporters' Federation will be a key partner in that process.

Taxation: Interest Rates

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what rate of interest is charged by HM Revenue and Customs when taxpayers owe it money; and what rate of interest is paid when HM Revenue and Customs owes money to taxpayers.

Lord Myners: HMRC charges and pays interest on a number of taxes and these rates are published on the HMRC website. For Income Tax, Corporation Tax and VAT (the main taxes) the present rates of interest are 2.5 per cent for late payment of tax and 0 per cent for repayment of tax.

Telephone Numbers

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions or advice are given to trusts and other organisations in the National Health Service on the use of 0800, 084 and 087 telephone numbers.

Lord Darzi of Denham: On 1 April 2005, the department prohibited the use of premium rate (0870, 0871, and 09) numbers to contact local National Health Service healthcare services in England, on the basis of excessive cost to patients. This applied to NHS trusts, NHS dentists, NHS opticians and general practitioner practices, including out-of-hours service providers.
	This did not include 084 numbers (which were not considered to be "premium rate" at the time). However, the department has written to NHS trusts on several separate occasions since to highlight concerns about the cost to patients of calling 084 numbers, and to reiterate that patients should not be required to pay more than the equivalent cost of dialling a geographic number to contact the NHS.
	The department has recently undertaken a public consultation exercise on the use of 084 numbers in the NHS. That consultation ended on 31 March and any action taken as a result of the outcome of the consultation will be announced in due course.
	The department has not issued any advice to trusts or other NHS organisations on the use of 0800 numbers.

Telephone Numbers

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance or advice are given to local authorities on the use of 0800, 084 and 087 telephone numbers.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions or advice are given to Government Offices for the Regions, regional development agencies and regional leaders' boards on the use of 0800, 084 and 087 telephone numbers.

Baroness Andrews: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not issued guidance on the use of 0800, 084 and 087 telephone numbers to local authorities.

Terrorism

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many organisations have been proscribed under terrorism legislation in each of the last eight years which (a) are for all practical purposes the same as a proscribed organisation, and (b) are proscribed organisations operating under a different name.

Lord West of Spithead: In accordance with Section 3(6)(a) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (inserted by the Terrorism Act 2006), where the Secretary of State believes that a proscribed organisation listed in Schedule 2 is operating wholly or partly under another name, she may make an order, providing that name is to be treated as another name for the proscribed organisation. The effect of such an order is that the Act has effect as if the organisation were listed in Schedule 2 under both names.
	The power in Section 3(6)(a) has been exercised on two occasions. On 14 July 2006, an order came into force which provided that the names "Kongra Gele Kurdistan" and "KADEK" will be treated as other names for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan) (PKK). On 11 March 2009, an order was laid before Parliament providing that the name "Jama'at ud Da'wa" is to be treated as another name for Lashkar e Tayyaba (LeT). This order is due to come into force today.
	The related power in Section 3(6)(b) permits the Secretary of State to provide that a name not specified in Schedule two is to be treated as another name for a proscribed organisation where she believes the other name is for all practical purposes the same as the proscibed organisation. The power in Section 3(6)(b) has yet to be exercised.

Terrorism

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many activists from organisations proscribed under terrorism legislation have been (a) arrested, (b) charged, and (c) convicted, for offences under that legislation in each year since its introduction.

Lord West of Spithead: Details of those charged and convicted under Sections 11 to 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 will be contained in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes (Great Britain), 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008, due to be published in due course. Details of terrorist arrests under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 or under other legislation will also be contained in the bulletin. However, the arrest figures do not include details of the specific offences of which an individual is suspected.

Terrorism: Stop and Search

Lord Patel of Blackburn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the people stopped in stop and search cases in 2008 were of Muslim, Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage.

Lord Bach: It is not part of the stop and search procedure for the police to ask for an individual's religion, so no information on the number of Muslims stopped and searched is available.
	An Official Statistics publication—Statistics on Race in the Criminal Justice System 2007/08—will be published on Thursday 30 April. This will include a 16+1 ethnicity breakdown, where numbers for people who self-define as Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani will be shown. This will be the first time that this level of detail will be published; former publications gave only police-officer-defined ethnic appearance, commonly know as 4+1.

Torture

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking with European Union Governments, the Government of the United States, Commonwealth Governments and other concerned Governments (a) to determine the extent of the use of torture on prisoners taken by allied forces, and (b) to identify those directly and indirectly responsible in order to bring them to justice; and what action they are taking to prevent such practice in future.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government unreservedly condemn the use of torture. Our policy is not to participate in, encourage or condone the use of torture for any purpose. We are determined that when allegations of torture are made, they must be taken seriously and investigated as appropriate. This position is well known to our key partners.
	We take very seriously the need to ensure the welfare of any prisoners captured by our forces, in accordance with international law. For this reason, we have in place various arrangements to ensure their proper treatment. Some of these arrangements involve co-operation with international partners. We maintain an ongoing dialogue with them in respect of these issues. Were we to receive credible information suggesting torture or mistreatment had occurred in respect of prisoners taken by our forces, we would take action, where appropriate in concert with partners, to address such allegations and to review safeguards.

Treasury: Overseas Visits

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any HM Treasury officials have visited any country or overseas dependent territory bordering the Caribbean (including the Bahamas, Bermuda and Turks and Caicos Islands) in the past six months; and, if so, on what dates and for what purposes.

Lord Myners: The Treasury's accounting system does not hold travel information by destination and the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Trees

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Natural England has any further plans to remove trees from the Formby coast.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Natural England is a member of the Sefton Coast Partnership which has recently approved the Sefton Coast Nature Conservation Strategy.
	The strategy has a set of principles which will inform future management of the coast. There is specific mention of fragmentation as an issue for the Sefton coast and the remedy for this will include some tree removal.
	Early in 2008, Natural England released a statement of how it will proceed with future management of tree cover, though no current plans exist for this work. When Natural England begins to develop ideas for the future management, it will consult the public and other stakeholders and ensure its plans conform with the above strategy, as well as to the Sefton Coast Woodlands Forest Plan; a 20-year plan to diversify the habitat within the area.

Trees

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a nationwide tree planting programme for local authorities, environmental groups and individual households.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government's policy on trees is set out in A Strategy for England's Trees, Woods and Forests. Ensuring effective use of public investment is one of the four principles underlying the strategy. This means:
	focusing government investment in trees, woods and forest where the market does not provide the range and quality of public benefits identified in the strategy;ensuring that the benefits provided by public investment are shared by all sections of the community and offer value for money; andworking to the strengths of the private sector, non- government organisations and public landowners and choosing the most appropriate delivery mechanisms and partners.
	The delivery plan for A Strategy for England's Trees, Woods and Forestry, developed jointly by Forestry Commission and Natural England, was published in December 2008.
	We have no proposals to introduce a nationwide tree planting programme. However, the delivery plan includes agreeing with partners (including local authorities and non-government organisations) new priority areas and places in each region where new tree planting and woodland creation should be targeted, based on the public benefits they will provide.

Uganda

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of the Ugandan courts and traditional systems of justice to try the Lords Resistance Army commanders in respect of whom warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court; and what assistance they are giving to those courts.

Lord Malloch-Brown: A special division of the Ugandan high court was established in 2008 to try individuals charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Government of Uganda have also prepared draft legislation to incorporate the Rome Statute into domestic legislation. The Ugandan Parliament is expected to consider the draft Bill shortly. The framework for traditional justice is still evolving and consultations between the Government of Uganda and local communities are continuing. The Government are not currently providing any assistance to the special division of the Ugandan high court.

Universities: Fees

Lord King of West Bromwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have regarding any effect on recruitment of students from middle-income families if university tuition fees are substantially raised.

Lord Drayson: Questions about tuition fees will be a matter for the independent review, which we promised in 2004 would look at the first three years of the new arrangements that were introduced in 2006. The first three years of the variable fee regime will not be concluded until the autumn.
	Decisions about the future funding of higher education require a prior view about what universities need to achieve in future. That is why ahead of the independent review, the Government have been leading a wide-ranging debate about the future of higher education. We intend to publish our framework for the future development of HE in the summer.

Urban Waste Water Treatment

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the total cost in real terms to the United Kingdom since 1973 of complying with the urban waste water treatment, bathing and drinking water directives.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Water supply and sewerage services are devolved matters, so this Answer is only for England and Wales, which use the same regulatory frameworks. The Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive was adopted by the Council of the European Communities in May 1991; its implementation would not have incurred any expenditure prior to this date.
	Expenditure often meets multiple objectives; it is not possible to distinguish the expenditure needed to meet individual European directives.
	Since privatisation in 1989, the water industry has invested around £75 billion (at 2007-08 prices) in water and wastewater services, asset maintenance, environmental improvements, and securing supply and service improvements. This is an average annual capital investment in the water industry of more than £4 billion over the past 18 years.
	Around £28 billion (at 2007-08 prices) of the capital investment which has taken place since privatisation is directly related to sewerage service and water quality improvements including those driven by EC directives.

Vehicles: Seize and Destroy Powers

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers are available to the police in Northern Ireland and England to seize and destroy vehicles where the driver or keeper has paid no road tax, has no valid MOT certificate or valid driving licence, or is disqualified from driving.

Lord Adonis: Devolved Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) powers for wheel clamping, removal and disposal of unlicensed vehicles are available to police forces and local authorities under the Vehicle Excise Duty (Immobilisation, Removal and Disposal of Vehicles) Regulations 1997 (as amended). These enforcement powers are available, on application to DVLA, to police forces in both Northern Ireland and England.
	There are no powers in either Northern Ireland or England for the police to seize and dispose of a vehicle which has no valid MoT certificate.
	For vehicles being driven by a person without a valid driving licence in England, powers under the Road Traffic Act 1988 (as amended) are available. Specifically, Section 165 of the Act provides powers for the police to wheel clamp, seize and dispose of vehicles being driven by an unlicensed driver. No such powers currently exist for police in Northern Ireland.

Visas

Lord King of West Bromwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh entered the United Kingdom in each of the last five years on visas for marriage.

Lord West of Spithead: The available data for 2003 to 2007 are given in the attached table. Data for 2008 are scheduled for publication in August 2009.
	Statistics on nationals from the Indian subcontinent admitted to the United Kingdom for a probationary period as husbands, wives or for marriage are published in tables 2.3, 2.4 and 2.6 in the Home Office statistical bulletin Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom, 2007. This publication and future publications may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration- asylum-stats.html.
	
		
			 Passengers given limited leave to enter as husbands, wives, or for marriage(1), by selected country of nationality, 2003-2007 
			 Category and country of nationality 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 (P) 
			 Husbands  
			 Bangladesh 1,100 630 1,285 1,345 1,135 
			 India 905 1,365 1,615 1,655 1,610 
			 Pakistan 2,445 3,090 3,390 3,320 3,255 
			 Total Indian subcontinent 4,445 5,090 6,295 6,320 6,005 
			 Male fiancés  
			 Bangladesh 15 5 20 30 20 
			 India 90 95 125 140 125 
			 Pakistan 45 75 100 130 125 
			 Total Indian subcontinent 150 175 245 295 270 
			 Wives  
			 Bangladesh 1,750 1,010 1,835 2,040 1,615 
			 India 2,410 2,745 3,315 3,100 3,205 
			 Pakistan 3,100 4,340 5,105 4,905 5,085 
			 Total Indian subcontinent 7,260 8,095 10,260 10,045 9,905 
			 Female fiancées  
			 Bangladesh 5 5 10 15 10 
			 India 145 155 190 190 165 
			 Pakistan 50 85 95 120 105 
			 Total Indian subcontinent 195 245 295 325 280 
			 Grand total  
			 Bangladesh 2,865 1,650 3,150 3,430 2,780 
			 India 3,545 4,365 5,250 5,085 5,110 
			 Pakistan 5,640 7,590 8,690 8,475 8,570 
			 Total Indian subcontinent 12,055 13,600 17,090 16,990 16,460 
			 (1) Excludes civil and unmarried partners. 
			 Data rounded to the nearest five so may not sum to the totals. 
			 P = provisional.

Visit England: Website

Lord Hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many hits Visit England's website has received in each of the last 24 months.

Lord Carter of Barnes: Year Date Visits Unique visitors 
			 2007 1-31 Jan 745,077 485,922 
			  1-28 Feb 767,752 541,607 
			  1-31 Mar 860,247 556,651 
			  1-30 Apr 581,967 447,941 
			  1-31 May 544,255 393,939 
			  1-30 June 506,025 346,908 
			  1-31 July 576,849 396,719 
			  1-31 Aug 769,917 529,465 
			  1-30 Sept 590,665 410,723 
			  1 31 Oct 566,127 396,007 
			  1-30 Nov 482,236 344,252 
			  1-31 Dec 397,426. 303,857 
			  2007 Total 7,388,543 5,153,989 
			 2008 1-31 Jan 501,882 355,795 
			  1-29 Feb 535,504 391,604 
			  1-31 Mar 612,089 443,983 
			  1-30 Apr 595,156 435,000 
			  1-31 Ma 800,093 604,387 
			  1-30 June 656,800 557,369 
			  1-31 July 640,515 544,148 
			  1-31 Aug 708,102 601,667 
			  1-30 Sept 524,577 447,704 
			  1-31 Oct 595,316 511,089 
			  1-30 Nov 560,434 480,664 
			  1-31 Dec 492,902 426,471 
			  2008 Total 7,223,370 5,799,881 
			 2009 1-31 Jan 525,066 449,434 
			  1-28 Feb 485,066 407,222 
			  1-31 March 557,787 474,569

War Crimes

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are receiving progress reports on investigations into alleged war crimes committed by Hamas in the recent Gaza conflict.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We are gravely concerned about allegations that war crimes were committed by both sides. We are currently awaiting the results of investigations being carried out by the UN, the Israeli Government, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. We are not receiving detailed updates, but once these are concluded we will then consider what further action should be taken.

Waterways: Ecology Status Targets

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to address problems with the ecological status of bodies of water in England and Wales in order to agree finalised river basin management plans by the end of 2009.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Water Framework Directive (Articles 4 and 11) requires that river basin management plans include a programme of measures to meet environmental objectives for surface water, groundwater and protected areas. Each body of surface water must have an ecological status objective and a chemical status objective set for it. Each body of groundwater must have chemical status and quantitative status objectives set for it.
	For surface water, necessary measures will be implemented with the aim of progressively reducing pollution from priority substances and ceasing or phasing out emissions, discharges and losses of priority hazardous substances.
	For groundwater, necessary measures will be implemented to prevent or limit the input of pollutants into groundwater and to prevent the deterioration of the status of all bodies of groundwater.
	The Environment Agency is currently consulting on the draft river basin management plans. These include a draft programme of measures aimed at improving the ecological status of water bodies. When the consultation has finished at the end of June, the Environment Agency will consider all the responses before submitting final river basin management plans to Ministers in September. Ministers will then consider the Environment Agency's recommendations before approving the plans (with or without changes) in December.

Waterways: River Basins

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will make the river basin management plans understandable to members of the public.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Environment Agency is currently consulting on the draft river basin management plans for England and Wales. In preparing the draft plans for consultation, the Environment Agency worked with many organisations, including environmental stakeholders, to ensure the consultation documents met the requirements of a wide range of audiences. The draft plans are designed to be relatively high-level strategic documents, but some audiences have sought much greater detail, particularly at the local level. While the draft plans have weighty annexes holding information more relevant to a technical audience, the draft plans themselves are limited to around 50 pages, and contain the information considered necessary to respond to the consultation questions. The Environment Agency has also made much of the information in the draft plans available on the part of their website called "What's in Your Back Yard", which allows the public to view information in the draft plans as a set of interactive maps and tables.
	The Environment Agency continues to work with environmental stakeholders and others to improve the presentation and accessibility of the final river basin management plans. It is producing a series of short documents summarising the plans. These include summaries of relevance to the general public, or different business sectors affected by the plans, or covering smaller geographical areas.

West Bank and East Jerusalem

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request from the Government of Israel figures of the number of Israeli settlers living in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, respectively, and of the number of village settlements in each; and, if so, whether they will place those figures in the Library of the House.

Lord Malloch-Brown: According to Peace Now, a well respected non-governmental organisation, in 2008 there were 285,000 Israeli settlers living in 121 settlements in the West Bank. As the Israeli Government do not differentiate between east and west Jerusalem there are no official figures available for this area. Peace Now draws on freely available Israeli Government figures in compiling its statistics.

West Bank and East Jerusalem

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request from the Government of Israel figures of the number of Israeli settlers arriving in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in each of the last 10 years and of the percentage increase in settlers over that period; and, if so, whether they will place those figures in the Library of the House.

Lord Malloch-Brown: According to Peace Now, a well respected non-governmental organisation, there were 198,300 settlers living in the West Bank area in 2000. By 2008 this figure had increased to 285,000.
	As Israel does not differentiate between east and west Jerusalem there are no official figures available for this area. However, we judge that a significant increase has also occurred in east Jerusalem.
	Peace Now draw on freely available Israeli Government figures in compiling their statistics.

West Bank and East Jerusalem

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken through the European Union and with the Government of the United States to address any contraventions of international law that have occurred as a result of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem; and what assessment they have made of which laws may have been contravened.

Lord Malloch-Brown: It is the long-standing position of the Government that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are unlawful under international law, as they contravene Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. This position has also been taken by UN bodies, such as the UN Security Council, for example in UN Security Council Resolution 446 (1979), and by the International Court of Justice in its 2004 Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of the Wall.
	We regularly discuss our concerns over illegal Israeli settlements with the US and our EU partners. We will continue to press the Israeli authorities to freeze settlement expansion and to negotiate a peace deal to bring the occupation to an end.

Young Offenders: Training Courses

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young offenders at HM Young Offenders Institute Aylesbury who are serving indeterminate sentences for public protection are on the waiting list for courses on enhanced thinking skills, victim awareness, victim empathy, family and man relationship skills, and assertiveness; and, in each case, how many of those concerned have exceeded their tariff.

Lord Bach: One prisoner serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection at Aylesbury young offender institution has been assessed as suitable for the enhanced thinking skills course and is awaiting a place. He has not exceeded his tariff. Eight are awaiting assessment for the course, one of whom has exceeded his tariff. Nine have been set the course as an objective and will complete it at another establishment, one of whom has exceeded his tariff. Sixteen are awaiting places on the family and man relationship skills course, eight of whom have exceeded their tariff. Eighteen are awaiting places on the assertiveness course, nine of whom have exceeded their tariff. Victim awareness and victim empathy courses are not available at Aylesbury.
	The National Offender Management Service has implemented a range of measures to improve the position of indeterminate sentence prisoners, and further work is being undertaken to match delivery. The benefits of moving prisoners through the system are fully recognised: Action is being taken to prioritise indeterminate sentence prisoners particularly with short tariffs, and if necessary move them as quickly as possible to establishments where their offending behaviour needs can be addressed.